ˌbespəˈpȯvə̇ts, ˌbezp- noun
( plural bezpo·pov·tsy -ȯftsē)
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Russian, from bez without (from Old Russian) + popov- (plural stem of pop priest, from Old High German pfaffo, from Gothic papa, from Late Greek papas, from Greek, father) + -ets, agent suffix; akin to Old Slavic & Polish bez without, Lithuanian bè, Sanskrit bahis outside — more at pope
: a member of a Raskolnik priestless sect in Russia — compare popovets