From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpadrepa‧dre /ˈpɑːdreɪ, -ri/ noun [countable] informalRRCPM a priest, especially one in the army
Examples from the Corpus
padre• Approaching the car I was driving, he reproved me, saying that a padre ought to know better.• We had some very good padres in the service.• A shameful flock formed round the padre.• The padre take the tongue and pop!• The padre, Horrocks, came and stood with them.• The padres, to explain all this, invented two myths of their own.• For those who liked to go to church there were padres of several denominations and candles and a camp-built altar.Origin padre (1500-1600) Spanish Italian, or Portuguese, “father”, from Latin pater; → PATERNAL