Standard Lemma guide

exorcist

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈɛk.sɔː.sɪst/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: /ˈɛk.sɔɹˌsɪst/
  • US: /ˈɛk.sɚˌsɪst/
  • CMU ARPABET: EH1 K S ER0 S AH0 S T Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person, especially a priest or priestess, who is a practitioner in exorcism to force out evil spirits or demons from a living being.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

someone who practices exorcism

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: exorciser

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: sorcerer, magician, wizard, necromancer, thaumaturge, thaumaturgist

3

noun

Meaning 3

one of the minor orders in the unreformed Western Church but now suppressed in the Roman Catholic Church

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Holy Order, Order

History

Etymology

From Middle French exorciste, from Latin exorcista, from Ancient Greek ἐξορκιστής (exorkistḗs).

Across languages

Translations

55 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: رَاقٍ (rāqin) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Arabic: رَاقِية (rāqiya) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Belarusian: экзарцыст (ekzarcyst) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Catalan: exorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • Czech: exorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • Danish: eksorcist — a person who practices exorcism
  • Danish: djævleuddriver — a person who practices exorcism
  • Dutch: exorcist — a person who practices exorcism
  • Dutch: duivelbanner — a person who practices exorcism
  • Dutch: geestenbanner — a person who practices exorcism
  • Finnish: manaaja — a person who practices exorcism
  • Finnish: eksorkisti — a person who practices exorcism
  • French: exorciste — a person who practices exorcism
  • Galician: exorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Exorzist — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Exorzistin — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisterbeschwörer — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisterbeschwörerin — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisteraustreiber — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisteraustreiberin — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisterbanner — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Geisterbannerin — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Teufelsbanner — a person who practices exorcism
  • German: Teufelsbannerin — a person who practices exorcism
  • Greek: εξορκιστής (exorkistís) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Ancient Greek: ἐξορκιστής (exorkistḗs) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Hindi: हाज़िराती (hāzirātī) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Hindi: ओझा (ojhā) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Hindi: दावती (dāvtī) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Hungarian: ördögűző — a person who practices exorcism
  • Icelandic: særingamaður — a person who practices exorcism
  • Italian: esorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • Japanese: 破魔者 (hamasha) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Japanese: 破魔師 (hamashi) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Kannada: ಮಾಂತ್ರಿಕ (māntrika) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Korean: 구마 사제 (guma saje) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Latin: adiurator — a person who practices exorcism
  • Māori: kaipeiwairua — a person who practices exorcism
  • Norman: d'senchorchéleux — a person who practices exorcism
  • Norwegian Bokmål: eksorsist — a person who practices exorcism
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: eksorsist — a person who practices exorcism
  • Polish: egzorcysta — a person who practices exorcism
  • Portuguese: exorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • Russian: экзорци́ст (ekzorcíst) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Serbo-Croatian: egzòrcist — a person who practices exorcism
  • Spanish: exorcista — a person who practices exorcism
  • Tamil: பேயோட்டி (pēyōṭṭi) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Tangut: 𗄦 — a person who practices exorcism
  • Turkish: üfürükçü — a person who practices exorcism
  • Ukrainian: екзорцист (ekzorcyst) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Volapük: sädiaban — a person who practices exorcism
  • Volapük: hisädiaban — a person who practices exorcism
  • Volapük: jisädiaban — a person who practices exorcism
  • Yiddish: באַשווערער (bashverer) — a person who practices exorcism
  • Yiddish: אַרויסטרײַבער (aroystrayber) — a person who practices exorcism