noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   An Eastern Orthodox elder, typically a monk or hieromonk, often renowned for holy wisdom, who functions as an adviser and teacher.
2. 2
   a religious adviser (not necessarily a priest) in the Eastern Orthodox Church wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

abecedarianangelantediluvianantiqueauthorityback number

Etymology

Borrowed from Russian ста́рец (stárec) (q.v.).

Related phrases

russian orthodox church

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.