priest W3 /priːst/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: preost , from Late Latin presbyter , from Greek presbyteros 'older man, priest' , from presbys 'old man' ]
1 . someone who is specially trained to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Christian church
2 . a man with religious duties and responsibilities in some non-Christian religions
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THESAURUS
▪ priest someone who is specially trained to perform religious duties and ceremonies in the Christian church:
a Catholic priest
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a Buddhist priest
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Women priests are much more common these days.
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The priest who married us was very friendly and helpful.
▪ bishop a priest of high rank in some branches of the Christian church, who is the head of all the churches and priests in a large area:
the Bishop of Oxford
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a meeting of bishops
▪ vicar a priest in the Church of England who is in charge of a church in a particular area:
our local vicar
▪ preacher someone who gives the sermon (=a religious talk as part of a church service) in some Protestant churches:
a Methodist preacher
▪ minister the formal word for any priest in some branches of the Christian church:
In 1843, 450 ministers of the church broke away from the established church of Scotland.
▪ chaplain someone, especially a priest, who takes care of the religious needs of an organization such as a college, hospital, prison, or the military:
the prison chaplain
▪ pastor American English someone who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in some branches of the Protestant church:
a Baptist pastor
▪ rabbi the person who is in charge of the prayers, ceremonies etc in the Jewish religion:
Israel’s chief rabbis
▪ mullah a Muslim teacher of law and religion:
The people turned to their traditional leaders, the mullahs.
▪ holy man someone who is treated with great respect by people who belong to a religion:
A Sadhu, or Hindu holy man, was performing yoga on the banks of the River Ganges.
▪ the clergy the official leaders in organized religions, such as the priests, rabbis, and mullahs:
Around 30 members of the clergy gathered for the meeting.
▪ clergyman a male member of the clergy – used especially in the past:
His youngest son decided to become a clergyman.