priestcraft
Americannoun
noun
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the art and skills involved in the work of a priest
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derogatory the influence of priests upon politics or the use by them of secular power
Etymology
Origin of priestcraft
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the 1820s and '30s, there was the Workingmen's Movement, pitted against the evils of "kingcraft, priestcraft and lawyercraft."
From Time Magazine Archive
They declaimed in favour of liberty and against priestcraft and tyranny with all the ardour and freshness of youth.
From George Brown by Lewis, John
But Mr. Paine was the inveterate enemy to priestcraft as well as kingcraft.
From Junius Unmasked or, Thomas Paine the author of the Letters of Junius and the Declaration of Independence by Moody, Joel
Human sacrifices were a result of priestcraft in Tonga, as in Greece.
From Myth, Ritual And Religion, Vol. 2 (of 2) by Lang, Andrew
The kingcraft, and priestcraft, and solemn swindle of seven hundred years are exploded in a shout of laughter; the god is broken to pieces, his members dragged through the streets.
From History of the Intellectual Development of Europe, Volume I (of 2) Revised Edition by Draper, John William
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
