starets

[stahr-its, -yits]

noun

Russian Orthodox Church.

plural

startsy 

1. a religious teacher or counselor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of starets¹

1915–20; < Russian stárets elder, derivative of stáryǐ old

Example Sentences

“Do you want to hear what the special method of praying was that the starets told him about?” she asked.

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He was so alarmed that he wrote about it to the starets.

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“Well, the starets tells him about the Jesus Prayer first of all. ‘

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There were pilgrims who constantly tramped from one holy place to another and from one starets to another, and were always entranced by every shrine and every starets.

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All he could do then was to obey the starets, to restrain himself, to undertake nothing, and simply to wait.

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