Oxford Dictionary English

    priest

    noun
    noun
    BrE BrE//priːst//
    ; NAmE NAmE//priːst//
    Religious people
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  1. 1 a person who is qualified to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox Churches a parish priest the ordination of women priests compare chaplain, clergyman, minister, vicar Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivelocal, parish, village, … verb + priestbecome, be ordained (as) priest + verbcelebrate something, officiate (at something) See full entry See related entries: Religious people
  2. 2 (priestess
    BrE BrE//ˈpriːstes//
    ; NAmE NAmE//ˈpriːstes//
    )     a person who performs religious ceremonies in some religions that are not Christian Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivechief, high, temple, … See full entry
    3.  Word OriginOld English prēost, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch priester, German Priester, based on ecclesiastical Latin presbyter ‘elder’, from Greek presbuteros ‘elder’ (used in the New Testament to denote an elder of the early church), comparative of presbus ‘old (man)’.Extra examples He was considered the high priest of finance at that time. a ceremony led by the High Priest the priest who was celebrating Mass
See priest in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishSee priest in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
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