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Etymology edit

Pharisee +‎ -ic

Pronunciation edit

  • IPA(key): /ˈfɛɹɪˌseɪjɪk/

Adjective edit

pharisaic (comparative more pharisaic, superlative most pharisaic)

  1. Of or pertaining to the Pharisees.
  2. (chiefly Christianity) Emphasizing the observance of ritual or practice over the meaning.
    • 1912, George Bernard Shaw, “Act I”, in Pygmalion[1]:
      The church clock strikes the second quarter.
      HIGGINS [Hearing in it the voice of God, rebuking him for his Pharisaic want of charity for the poor girl]
  3. Self-righteous.
  4. (of circumcision) Involving the total excision of the foreskin (posthetomy) in addition to milah and periah (typical of circumcision in modern Judaism and the USA).

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