/ ˈfærɪsiː; NAmE / noun
1.
a member of an ancient Jewish group who followed religious laws and teaching very strictly
2.
( disapproving ) a person who is very proud of the fact that they have high religious and moral standards, but who does not care enough about other people
SYN hypocrite
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English fariseus , via ecclesiastical Latin from Greek Pharisaios , from Aramaic prīšayyā separated ones (related to Hebrew pārūš separated).