Ar·is·tide (är'ĭs-tēd', ä'rēs-) Haitian priest and politician who served as the first elected president of Haiti (1991-1996). Having spent most of his first term in exile in the United States (1991-1994), he was restored to power by U.S. troops and served as president from 1994 to 1996 and 2001 to 2004.