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prester john

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Prester John

  [pres-ter]
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–noun
a legendary Christian monk and potentate of the Middle Ages, supposed to have had a kingdom in some remote part of Asia or Africa and associated with fabulous narratives of travel.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Pres·ter John   (prěs'tər)   
n.  A legendary medieval Christian priest and king thought to have reigned over a Christian kingdom in the Far East or Ethiopia.

[Middle English prestre, priest, from Old French, from Late Latin presbyter; see presbyter.]
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

Prester John 
c.1300, Prestre Johan, legendary medieval Christian king and priest, said to have ruled either in the Far East or Ethiopia. From V.L. *prester, a transition between L. presbyter and Eng. priest. First mentioned in the West by mid-12c. chronicler Otto of Freising, who told how Johannes Presbyter won a great victory over the Persians and the Medes. Between 1165 and 1177 a forged letter purporting to be from him circulated in Europe. Reflects the time when the Christian West was culturally backwards and militarily threatened, dreaming of a mythical deliverer. Cf. O.Fr. prestre Jehan (13c.), It. prete Gianni.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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