presbyter

[ prez-bi-ter, pres- ]

/ ˈprɛz bɪ tər, ˈprɛs- /

Save This Word!

noun

(in the early Christian church) an office bearer who exercised teaching, priestly, and administrative functions.

(in hierarchical churches) a priest.

an elder in a Presbyterian church.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of presbyter

1590–1600; <Late Latin, noun use of the adj.: older <Greek presbýteros, equivalent to présby(s) old + -teros comparative suffix

OTHER WORDS FROM presbyter

pres·byt·er·al

[prez-bit-er-uhl, pres-], /prɛzˈbɪt ər əl, prɛs-/, adjectivenon·pres·by·ter, noun

Words nearby presbyter

presanctified, Presb., presbycusia, presbyopia, Presbyt., presbyter, presbyterate, presbyterial, presbyterian, Presbyterian Church, Presbyterianism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use presbyter in a sentence

The larger cubiculum has two tufa seats at the side, and one more elevated for the presiding presbyter.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
The altar, probably a small movable one of wood, if any at all, must have stood before the presbyter.
The Catacombs of Rome|William Henry Withrow
There was no priest (cohen); the presbyter was the "elder," nothing more.
The Great Events by Famous Historians, Volume 03|Various
Twelve miles off lived a presbyter, with whom, in mesmerist phraseology, he was en rapport.
Notes and Queries, Number 240, June 3, 1854|Various

If they were written by a writer named John, it was probably John the Presbyter, who lived in the second century.
The Bible|John E. Remsburg

British Dictionary definitions for presbyter

presbyter

/ (ˈprɛzbɪtə) /

noun

an elder of a congregation in the early Christian Church
(in some Churches having episcopal politics) an official who is subordinate to a bishop and has administrative, teaching, and sacerdotal functions

(in some hierarchical Churches) another name for priest

(in the Presbyterian Church)

a teaching elder
a ruling elder

Word Origin for presbyter

C16: from Late Latin, from Greek presbuteros an older man, from presbus old man

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