definitions

proselyte

[ pros-uh-lahyt ]
/ ˈprɒs əˌlaɪt /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR proselyte ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who has changed from one opinion, religious belief, sect, or the like, to another; convert.

verb (used with or without object), pros·e·lyt·ed, pros·e·lyt·ing.

proselytize.

RELATED WORDS

follower, disciple, neophyte, convert, conscript

Nearby words

prosecuting attorney, prosecution, prosecutor, prosecutorial, prosecutory, proselyte, proselytical, proselytism, proselytize, proseminar, prosencephalic

Origin of proselyte

1325–75; Middle English < Late Latin prosēlytus < Greek (Septuagint) prosḗlytos, for *prosḗlythos newcomer, proselyte, equivalent to prosēlyth- (suppletive stem of prosérchesthai to approach) + -os noun suffix

Related forms

pros·e·lyt·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for proselyte

proselyte

/ (ˈprɒsɪˌlaɪt) /

noun

a person newly converted to a religious faith or sect; a convert, esp a gentile converted to Judaism

verb

a less common word for proselytize

Derived Forms

proselytism (ˈprɒsɪlɪˌtɪzəm), nounproselytic (ˌprɒsɪˈlɪtɪk), adjective

Word Origin for proselyte

C14: from Church Latin prosēlytus, from Greek prosēlutos recent arrival, convert, from proserchesthai to draw near
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