exorcist

[ ek-sawr-sist, -ser- ]

/ ˈɛk sɔr sɪst, -sər- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR exorcist ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who practices exorcism.

Roman Catholic Church.

a member of the second-ranking of the four minor orders.
the order itself.Compare acolyte(def 2), lector(def 2), ostiary(def 1).

Nearby words

Origin of exorcist

1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin exorcista < Greek exorkistḗs. See exorcism, -ist

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for exorcist

Father Vicenzo Taraborelli in Rome is an exorcist with set office hours and dedicated phone lines to take exorcism appointments.
Pope Francis Gives Blessing to Exorcist Conference|Barbie Latza Nadeau|October 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
William Friedkin (The Exorcist) and Justin Lin (Fast Five) have been a couple of the names floating about.
Colin Farrell Officially Confirmed For ‘True Detective’ Season 2: ‘I’m So Excited’|Marlow Stern|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His apparently sincere desire to help me deal with my problems made his transition to Exorcist Bob all the more jarring.
My $295 Skype Exorcism|Scott Bixby|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When I commented that he was surprisingly ecumenical for an exorcist, he smiled.
My $295 Skype Exorcism|Scott Bixby|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

“You often see the exorcist portrayed looking as evil as the possessed,” he says.
Vatican and Pope Francis Seek New Demon Exorcists|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Benet, ben′et, n. an exorcist, the third of the four lesser orders in the Roman Church.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 1 of 4: A-D)|Various
It may be added that many weak-minded persons feared the sorcerer more than they confided in the exorcist.
A Philosophical Dictionary, Volume 6 (of 10)|Franois-Marie Arouet (AKA Voltaire)
When a Malayan exorcist is engaged in propitiating a demon, a fowl is sometimes waved before him, and decapitated.
Omens and Superstitions of Southern India|Edgar Thurston
An exorcist technically so called, when formally ordained, is only in minor and not in holy or sacred orders.
The Other World; or, Glimpses of the Supernatural (Vol. I of II)|Various
The sick man still groaned and sighed, and said he desired to be a Christian, and wished them to call in a priest and an exorcist.
Curiosities of Christian History|Croake James

Word Origin and History for exorcist

exorcist

"one who drives out evil spirits," late 14c., from Late Latin exorcista, from Ecclesiastical Greek exorkistes "an exorcist," from exorkizein (see exorcism).

exorcist

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of exorcist

Examples from the Web for exorcist

exorcist