Maronite

American  

[mar-uh-nahyt] / ˈmær əˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a member of a body of Uniates living chiefly in Lebanon, who maintain a Syriac liturgy and a married clergy, and who are governed by the patriarch of Antioch.

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Maronite British  

/ ˈmærəˌnaɪt /

noun

1. Christianity a member of a body of Uniats of Syrian origin, now living chiefly in Lebanon

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Etymology

Origin of Maronite

1505–15; < Late Latin Marōnīta, named after St. Maron, 4th-century monk, founder of the sect; -ite ¹

Example Sentences

By convention, Lebanon’s president must be from the Maronite Church, part of the Catholic Church.

From The Wall Street Journal

But though few expect change to come so quickly, the visit is still important, said a Maronite parish priest, Father Tony Elias, from Rmeish, a village located just across the border from Israel.

From Los Angeles Times

He will also hold a special meeting with those aged 16 to 35 in Bkerke, north of Beirut, where the patriarchate of Lebanon's Maronite Church is located.

From Barron's

Under the country's power-sharing system, the post of president is reserved for a Maronite Christian.

From Barron's

It was also the first targeting of the Christian community in Syria since a massacre in 1860, when a conflict broke out between Druze and Maronite Christians under Ottoman rule.

From BBC