priestcraft
Americannoun
noun
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the art and skills involved in the work of a priest
-
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
So, without actually professing to be a medicine man, he had freely accorded to him all the confidence a member of the priestcraft usually enjoys.
From The Westerners by White, Stewart Edward
Kingcraft and priestcraft have always been in close alliance.
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.
They make a priestcraft and a ritual of artful language, and are ignorant of their own heresy.
From The Cup of Fury A Novel of Cities and Shipyards by Raleigh, Henry
On the other hand, Paine's opposition to atheism would appear to have brought him into danger from another quarter, in which religion could not be distinguished from priestcraft.
From The Life Of Thomas Paine, Vol. II. (of II) With A History of His Literary, Political and Religious Career in America France, and England by Conway, Moncure Daniel
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.
