[far-uh-see] 
| 1. | a member of a Jewish sect that flourished during the 1st century b.c. and 1st century a.d. and that differed from the Sadducees chiefly in its strict observance of religious ceremonies and practices, adherence to oral laws and traditions, and belief in an afterlife and the coming of a Messiah. |
| 2. | (lowercase ) a sanctimonious, self-righteous, or hypocritical person. |
| phar·i·see (fār'ĭ-sē) n.
[Middle English pharise, from Old English fariseus and from Old French pharise, both from Late Latin pharīsaeus, from Greek pharīsaios, from Aramaic pərišayyā, pl. of pəriš, separate, from pəraš, to separate; see prš in Semitic roots.] |