Priest

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈpɹiːst/

Definitions

1. An individual who serves as a spiritual leader, conducting sacred ceremonies and offering guidance to followers while upholding the traditions of their faith community
2. A person designated to lead religious services, provide pastoral care, and guide a congregation in spiritual matters
3. A person authorized to carry out sacred rites and offer spiritual support within a religious community

Etymology: Behind "priest" lies a word that originally meant nothing more sacred than "elder." Ancient Greek "présbus" meant "elder, older," and from it came "presbúteros," an older man or senior figure. Early Christian writers in Late Latin borrowed that Greek form as "presbyter," and it was used for church officials who held authority within a community. The English word came by way of Old English "prēost," which developed from that Latin term and was later reinforced in Middle English by the Old French "prestre," also drawn from Latin "presbyter." The two routes left English with "priest" and a close relative, "presbyter," which kept more of the Latin shape and remains a technical term for an elder in some churches. The Tyndale Bible, the English translation of the New Testament that William Tyndale produced, avoided the word altogether and used the native English "elder" in its place. That choice shows how a word for a senior member of a community could become the name for a church officer, and how English translators once had a plain alternative to hand.

Synonyms: clergyman, minister, pastor, holy man, religious leader

Antonyms: layman, nonbeliever, secularist, atheist, sinner