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presbyterian

 - 3 dictionary results

pres⋅by⋅te⋅ri⋅an

  [prez-bi-teer-ee-uhn, pres-]
Use presbyterian in a Sentence
–adjective
1. pertaining to or based on the principle of ecclesiastical government by presbyters or presbyteries.
2. (initial capital letter) designating or pertaining to various churches having this form of government and professing more or less modified forms of Calvinism.
–noun
3. (initial capital letter) a member of a Presbyterian church; a person who supports Presbyterianism.
Origin:
1635–45; presbytery + -an
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To presbyterian
pres·by·te·ri·an   (prěz'bĭ-tîr'ē-ən, prěs'-)   
adj.  

  1. Of or relating to ecclesiastical government by presbyters.

  2. Presbyterian Of or relating to a Presbyterian Church.

n.   Presbyterian
A member or an adherent of a Presbyterian Church.
pres'by·te'ri·an·ism n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

Presbyterian 
1640, as name of Scottish church governed by elders (as opposed to bishops), from presbyter "an elder in a church" (1597), from L.L. presbyter "an elder," from Gk. presbyteros "an elder," also an adj. meaning "older," comparative of presbys "old," possibly originally "one who leads the cattle," from *pres- "before" + root of bous "cow." Presbytery "a part of a church reserved for the clergy" is recorded from 1412. Meaning "body of elders in the Presbyterian system" is recorded from 1578.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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