presbyter

English

Etymology

From Late Latin presbyter, from Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros), from πρέσβυς (présbus, “elder, older”). Doublet of prester and priest.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛzbɪtə/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛzbɪtɚ/, /ˈpɹɛsbɪtɚ/

Noun

presbyter (plural presbyters)

1. An elder, priest, pastor, or minister in various Christian churches.

   Hypernym: cleric

2. An elder of the Presbyterian church.

   Hypernym: cleric

3. An elder of the congregation in early Christianity.

Derived terms

• Jack Presbyter
• presbytership

 

Related terms

• Pan-Presbyterian, Panpresbyterian
• presbyopia
• presbytera
• presbyterate
• presbyterial; Presbyterial
• presbyterially; Presbyterially
• presbyterian; Presbyterian
• presbyterianism; Presbyterianism
• Presbyterianization
• Presbyterianize
• presbyterianly; Presbyterianly
• presbytery

 

Translations

elder, priest, pastor, or minister in various Christian churches

• Armenian: երեց (hy) (erecʻ)
• Breton: beleg (br) m
• Bulgarian: презвитер m (prezviter)
• Esperanto: presbitero, pastro
• French: prêtre (fr) m
• German: Presbyter m, Presbyterin f, Priester (de) m, Priesterin (de) f
• Greek:

  Ancient Greek: πρεσβυτεροσ (presbuteros), πρεσβυτερασ f (presbuteras)

• Irish: preispitéir m
• Italian: presbitero (it) m
• Latin: presbyter m
• Macedonian: пре́звитер m (prézviter), старе́шина m (staréšina)
• Polish: prezbiter (pl) m, kapłan (pl) m
• Portuguese: presbítero (pt) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: прѐзбитер m

  Roman: prèzbiter (sh) m

• Spanish: presbítero (es) m

elder of the Presbyterian church

• German: Presbyter m, Presbyterin f

elder of the congregation in early Christianity

References

• “presbyter”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.

Latin

Etymology

From Ancient Greek πρεσβύτερος (presbúteros).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈpres.by.ter/, [ˈprɛs̠bʏt̪ɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈpres.bi.ter/, [ˈprɛzbit̪er]

Noun

presbyter m (genitive presbyterī); second declension

1. elder, presbyter

Declension

Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	presbyter	presbyterī
Genitive	presbyterī	presbyterōrum
Dative	presbyterō	presbyterīs
Accusative	presbyterum	presbyterōs
Ablative	presbyterō	presbyterīs
Vocative	presbyter	presbyterī

Derived terms

• presbytera
• presbyterātus

Related terms

• presbyterium

Descendants

• Balkan Romance:
  • Aromanian: preftu, preft
  • Romanian: preot
• Dalmatian:
  • pretro, preter, pret, prat, priat
• Italo-Romance:
  • Corsican: preti
  • Old Italian: preite, previte
    • Italian: prete
  • Neapolitan: prevete, preote, preite, preute
  • Sicilian: prèviti
• North Italian:
  • Emilian: prît
  • Friulian: predi
  • Ligurian: præve, præ
  • Lombard: prev, pret, preit, prèvet

    Ossolano: prèu, prèf, prèvi

  • Piedmontese: prèive, prève
  • Romagnol: prid, prit
  • Romansch: prer, prear, preir
  • Venetian: prète, prèvede, pre
• Gallo-Romance:
  • Old Francoprovençal: prestre, prestro (nominative form); preveiro (from the accusative form)
    • Franco-Provençal: prétro, prétre, preitre, préthre, prére, prire

      Valdôtain: prèire

  • Old French: prestre, provoire
    • French: prêtre
    • → Old Spanish: preste
      • Spanish: preste
• Occitano-Romance:
  • Catalan: prevere
  • Occitan: preveire, perbeire (dated)

    Auvergnat: prestre

    Gascon: prèste

    Languedocien: prèire, preire

    Limousin: prestre, pestre

    Provençal: prèire

    Vivaro-Alpine: preire

• Insular Romance:
  • Sardinian: preide, prede, predi
• Sardinian:
  • Campidanese: predi
  • Logudorese: preide, prede, preìderu, pìderu

Borrowings

• → Albanian: prift
• → English: presbyter, prester
• → Irish: preispitéir
• → Middle Dutch: priester
  • Dutch: priester
    • Afrikaans: priester
• → Old English: prēost
  • Middle English: prest, preest
    • English: priest
  • → Old Norse: prestr
• → Old High German: prēstar
  • Middle High German: priester
    • German: Priester
• → Old Welsh: primter
  • → Primitive Irish: ᚊᚏᚔᚋᚔᚈᚔᚏ (qrimitir)
    • Old Irish: cruimther
      • Middle Irish: cruimther, cruimmther, cruimper
        • Irish: cruimhthir
        • Scottish Gaelic: cruimthear
• → Old Church Slavonic: презвитеръ (prezviterŭ)
  • Bulgarian: презвитер (prezviter)
  • → Macedonian: презвитер (prezviter)

References

• “presbyter”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• presbyter in Ramminger, Johann (2016 July 16 (last accessed)) Neulateinische Wortliste: Ein Wörterbuch des Lateinischen von Petrarca bis 1700‎^[1], pre-publication website, 2005-2016