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priesthood

 
Dictionary: priest·hood   (prēst'hʊd') pronunciation
n.
  1. The character, office, or vocation of a priest.
  2. The clergy.

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Hacker Slang: priesthood
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[TMRC; obs.] The select group of system managers responsible for the operation and maintenance of a batch computer system. On these computers, a user never had direct access to a computer, but had to submit his/her data and programs to a priest for execution. Results were returned days or even weeks later.



Office of a spiritual leader expert in the ceremonies of worship and the performance of religious rituals. Though chieftains, kings, and heads of households have sometimes performed priestly functions, in most civilizations the priesthood is a specialized office. The priest's duties are concerned less with magic than with the right performance of ritual acts required by the divine powers. Many African societies, for example, differentiated between shamans and the priests responsible for the worship of tribal ancestors. Sacrifice is often one of the most important duties of the priesthood. Not every highly developed religion possesses a priesthood, the most notable exception being Islam. The idea of the "priesthood of all believers" was also a cardinal doctrine of the Reformation, and the Protestant belief that priests are not needed as intermediaries between church members and the Holy Spirit is seen most clearly in sects such as the Society of Friends.

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WordNet: priesthood
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the body of ordained religious practitioners


Translations: Priesthood
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Dansk (Danish)
n. - præstestand

Nederlands (Dutch)
priesterschap

Français (French)
n. - prêtrise, clergé

Deutsch (German)
n. - Priestertum

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - (θρησκ.) ιεροσύνη, ιερείς, κληρικοί, κλήρος

Italiano (Italian)
sacerdozio

Português (Portuguese)
n. - sacerdócio (m)

Русский (Russian)
сан священника, духовенство

Español (Spanish)
n. - sacerdocio

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - prästerskap, prästerlig värdighet

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
神职, 祭司职, 僧职

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 神職, 祭司職, 僧職

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 성직

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 聖職, 僧職, 聖職者

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) كهنوت‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮כמורה‬


 
 

 

Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Hacker Slang. The Jargon File. Copyright © 2007.  Read more
Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. © 2006 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more