Sadducee

American  

[saj-uh-see, sad-yuh-] / ˈsædʒ əˌsi, ˈsæd yə- /

noun

Judaism.

1. a member of a Palestinian sect, consisting mainly of priests and aristocrats, that flourished from the 1st century b.c. to the 1st century a.d. and differed from the Pharisees chiefly in its literal interpretation of the Bible, rejection of oral laws and traditions, and denial of an afterlife and the coming of the Messiah.

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Sadducee British  

/ ˈsædjʊˌsiː /

noun

1. Judaism a member of an ancient Jewish sect that was opposed to the Pharisees, denying the resurrection of the dead, the existence of angels, and the validity of oral tradition

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Other Word Forms

• Sadducean adjective
• Sadduceeism noun

Etymology

Origin of Sadducee

before 1000; Middle English sadducees (plural), Old English saddūcēas < Late Latin saddūcaeī < Greek saddoukaîoi < Hebrew ṣədhūqī adherent of Zadok