definitions

archpriest

[ ahrch-preest ]
/ ˈɑrtʃˈprist /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR archpriest ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a priest holding first rank, as among the members of a cathedral chapter or among the clergy of a district outside the episcopal city.
Roman Catholic Church. a priest acting as superior of the Roman Catholic secular clergy in England, first appointed in 1598 and superseded by a vicar apostolic in 1623.

RELATED WORDS

metropolitan, patriarch, priest, cardinal, bishop, suffragan, clergyperson

Nearby words

archly, archness, archon, archoplasm, archosaur, archpriest, archrival, archsee, archt., archway, archy

Origin of archpriest

1350–1400; Middle English archeprest (modeled on Late Latin archipresbyter < Greek archipresbýteros). See arch-1, priest

Related forms

arch·priest·hood, nounarch·priest·ship, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for archpriest

British Dictionary definitions for archpriest

archpriest

/ (ˈɑːtʃˈpriːst) /

noun Christianity

(formerly) a chief assistant to a bishop, performing many of his sacerdotal functions during his absence
a senior priest

Derived Forms

archpriesthood or archpriestship, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012