Presbyteress
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 A presbyter or priest's wife. historical
"Even a special blessing was included within the liturgy for the wives of married men on the day of their husband's ordination in the sixth century. These women were called presbyteresses (presbyterissae) and were entitled to wear special dress."
- 2 A female presbyter (elder of the congregation in early Christianity). obsolete
"Age was doubtless a requisite in presbyters, as it is here stated to have been in presbyteresses, with a view to their influence on the younger persons of their sex. They were supported by the Church, but not the only widows so supported."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
More examples"Even a special blessing was included within the liturgy for the wives of married men on the day of their husband's ordination in the sixth century. These women were called presbyteresses (presbyterissae) and were entitled to wear special dress."
Etymology
From Medieval Latin presbyterissa. By surface analysis, presbyter + -ess. Piecewise doublet of priestess.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.