Priest Meaning
/ˈpɹiːst/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounA religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple.
nounA blunt tool, used for quickly stunning and killing fish.
Sentence Examples
The priest participated in the children's games.
The priest participated in the children's game.
The priest pretends to be solemn in public.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The local ____ led the Sunday service at the church every week.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ administered the last rites to the dying man in the hospital room.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English prest, preest, from Old English prēost (“priest”), from Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Reinforced in Middle English by Old French prestre, also from Latin presbyter. Doublet of presbyter and prester. * The Tyndale Bible uses native English elder instead.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers."
— 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
"The church was tighening up on matters sexual. Until the middle of the tenth century it had been quite routine for priests to be married."
— 1999, Robert Lacey, Danny Danziger, The Year 1000: What life was like at the turn of The First Millennium, London: Abacus, published 2000, page 169:
"They flop and struggle, but she unhooks them swiftly, stunning them with a small brass priest."
— 1983, Keri Hulme, The Bone People, Penguin, published 1986, page 212:
"Chapman was a lay missionary and was not deaconed until 1844 and priested in 1852."
— 1992, Allan Davidson, Donald D. Hook, “New Zealand's Prayer Book”, in Anglican and Episcopal History, 61.3, pages 247-251:
"Thus, Samuel Seabury... was deaconed by the Bishop of Lincoln and priested by the Bishop of Carlisle."
— 2013, Gregory K. Cameron, “Locating the Anglican Communion in the History of Anglicanism”, in The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion, page 3:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The local ____ led the Sunday service at the church every week.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The ____ administered the last rites to the dying man in the hospital room.