ˈ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ˌsē noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English saducee, from Old English sadduce, from Late Latin sadducaeus, from Greek saddoukaios, from Late Hebrew ṣāddūqi, probably from Ṣadoq Zadok, high priest of Israel during the reign of King David and supposed founder of the sect
1. usually capitalized : a member of a party or sect among the Jews from the 2d century B.C. to the latter part of the 1st century A.D. consisting largely of the priestly aristocracy, opposing politically and doctrinally the Pharisees, interpreting the law more literally and less strictly than the Pharisees, rejecting the authority of the other parts of Scripture and the rabbinic tradition, and denying the resurrection, personal immortality, retribution in a future life, and the existence of angels, spirits, and demons
2. often capitalized : one who denies immortality and tends to materialism or religious indifferentism