Dictionary.com
definitions

archpriest

[ahrch-preest]
|
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 a priest acting as superior of the Roman Catholic secular clergy in England, first appointed in 1598 and superseded by a vicar apostolic in 1623.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

  1. archness,
  2. archon,
  3. archons,
  4. archoplasm,
  5. archosaur,
  6. archrival,
  7. archsee,
  8. archt.,
  9. archway,
  10. archy

Origin of archpriest

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

noun Christianity

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