[preest] Pronunciation Key | 1. | a person whose office it is to perform religious rites, and esp. to make sacrificial offerings. |
| 2. | (in Christian use)
|
| 3. | a minister of any religion. |
| 4. | to ordain as a priest. |
—Related forms
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
| priest
(prēst) Pronunciation Key
n.
tr.v. priest·ed, priest·ing, priests To ordain or admit to the priesthood. [Middle English preost, from Old English prēost, perhaps from Vulgar Latin *prester (from Late Latin presbyter; see presbyter) or from West Germanic *prēvost (from Latin praepositus, superintendent; see provost).] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
priest
| priest | |
noun | |
| 1. | a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders |
| 2. | a person who performs religious duties and ceremonies in a non-Christian religion |
priest
One who is designated an authority on religious matters. In some churches, especially the Anglican Communion, Eastern Orthodox Church, and Roman Catholic Church, the ordained church leader who serves a congregation of believers is called a priest. The priests in these churches administer the sacraments, preach, and care for the needs of their congregations. (See also minister and pastor.)
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Priest River, ID (city, FIPS 65530) Location: 48.18514 N, 116.91011 W
Population (1990): 1560 (699 housing units)
Area: 3.6 sq km (land), 0.1 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 83856
Priest Point, WA (CDP, FIPS 56304) Location: 48.03691 N, 122.24973 W
Population (1990): 703 (313 housing units)
Area: 2.5 sq km (land), 7.3 sq km (water)
Priest
Priest\, n. [OE. prest, preost, AS. pre['o]st, fr. L. presbyter, Gr. ? elder, older, n., an elder, compar. of ? an old man, the first syllable of which is probably akin to L. pristinus. Cf. Pristine, Presbyter.] 1. (Christian Church) A presbyter elder; a minister; specifically: (a) (R. C. Ch. & Gr. Ch.) One who is authorized to consecrate the host and to say Mass; but especially, one of the lowest order possessing this power. --Murdock. (b) (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) A presbyter; one who belongs to the intermediate order between bishop and deacon. He is authorized to perform all ministerial services except those of ordination and confirmation. 2. One who officiates at the altar, or performs the rites of sacrifice; one who acts as a mediator between men and the divinity or the gods in any form of religion; as, Buddhist priests. "The priests of Dagon." --1 Sam. v. 5. Then the priest of Jupiter . . . brought oxen and garlands . . . and would have done sacrifice with the people. --Acts xiv. 13. Every priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins. --Heb. v. 1. Note: In the New Testament presbyters are not called priests; but Christ is designated as a priest, and as a high priest, and all Christians are designated priests.
Priest
Priest\, v. t. To ordain as priest.
Priest
The Heb. kohen, Gr. hierus, Lat. sacerdos, always denote one who offers sacrifices. At first every man was his own priest, and presented his own sacrifices before God. Afterwards that office devolved on the head of the family, as in the cases of Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (12:7; 13:4), Isaac (26:25), Jacob (31:54), and Job (Job 1:5). The name first occurs as applied to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18). Under the Levitical arrangements the office of the priesthood was limited to the tribe of Levi, and to only one family of that tribe, the family of Aaron. Certain laws respecting the qualifications of priests are given in Lev. 21:16-23. There are ordinances also regarding the priests' dress (Ex. 28:40-43) and the manner of their consecration to the office (29:1-37). Their duties were manifold (Ex. 27:20, 21; 29:38-44; Lev. 6:12; 10:11; 24:8; Num. 10:1-10; Deut. 17:8-13; 33:10; Mal. 2:7). They represented the people before God, and offered the various sacrifices prescribed in the law. In the time of David the priests were divided into twenty-four courses or classes (1 Chr. 24:7-18). This number was retained after the Captivity (Ezra 2:36-39; Neh. 7:39-42). "The priests were not distributed over the country, but lived together in certain cities [forty-eight in number, of which six were cities of refuge, q.v.], which had been assigned to their use. From thence they went up by turns to minister in the temple at Jerusalem. Thus the religious instruction of the people in the country generally was left to the heads of families, until the establishment of synagogues, an event which did not take place till the return from the Captivity, and which was the main source of the freedom from idolatry that became as marked a feature of the Jewish people thenceforward as its practice had been hitherto their great national sin." The whole priestly system of the Jews was typical. It was a shadow of which the body is Christ. The priests all prefigured the great Priest who offered "one sacrifice for sins" "once for all" (Heb. 10:10, 12). There is now no human priesthood. (See Epistle to the Hebrews throughout.) The term "priest" is indeed applied to believers (1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 1:6), but in these cases it implies no sacerdotal functions. All true believers are now "kings and priests unto God." As priests they have free access into the holiest of all, and offer up the sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving, and the sacrifices of grateful service from day to day.
Copyright © 2008, Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.