adj
Meaning 1
Of or relating to priests.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
priestly
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
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/ˈpɹiːstli/
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Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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rhymes with -iːstli
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CMU ARPABET: P R IY1 S T L IY0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
adj
Meaning 2
Having the appearance of or resembling a priest.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adj
Meaning 3
Pertaining to the Priestly source (“P”), one of the sources of the Torah or Pentateuch according to the documentary hypothesis.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Topics: history, human-sciences, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
name
Meaning 4
A habitational surname from Old English.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
adjective
Meaning 5
befitting or characteristic of a priest or the priesthood
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- priestly dedication to the people of his parish
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: priestlike
Antonyms: unpriestly
adjective
Meaning 6
associated with the priesthood or priests
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- priestly (or sacerdotal) vestments
- hieratic gestures
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: hieratic, hieratical, sacerdotal
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From Middle English prestly; equivalent to priest + -ly.
Semantic loan from German priesterlich and Priesterschrift (“Priestly source”, literally “priest document”), so called because of the reconstructed source’s emphasis on cultic issues. See priestly.
Variant of Priestley.
Across languages
Translations
6 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: свещенически (svešteničeski) — of or relating to priests
- Bulgarian: жречески (žrečeski) — of or relating to priests
- German: priesterlich — of or relating to priests
- Irish: sagartúil — of or relating to priests
- Latin: sacerdotālis — of or relating to priests
- Polish: kapłański — of or relating to priests
Real reading context