Word
presbytery
Phoneticspres·bytery
UK/pɹɪsbˈaɪtəɹi/
Definitions
01a priest's house
n. the house where a Roman Catholic priest lives, usually next to the church.
n. the residence provided for a Roman Catholic parish priest, typically situated in close proximity to the parish church.
“The visitor knocked on the door of the presbytery to speak with the priest.”
“The historic presbytery, a Victorian stone building adjacent to the cathedral, has housed the parish clergy for over a century.”
Formal · Technical
Usage
Commonly used in a Roman Catholic context; other denominations may use 'vicarage' or 'manse'.
02area of a church
n. the part of a church building near the altar that is kept for the priests and choir.
n. the eastern part of the chancel of a church, situated between the choir and the high altar and reserved for the clergy.
“Only the priests were allowed to enter the presbytery during the ceremony.”
“The restoration project focused on the ornate mosaic flooring within the presbytery, which had been damaged by centuries of foot traffic.”
Formal · Technical
03a governing body
n. a group of church elders or leaders who make decisions for a district.
n. a court or governing body in Presbyterian churches consisting of all the ministers and representative elders within a specific district.
“The local presbytery met to discuss the appointment of a new minister.”
“The regional presbytery exercised its jurisdictional authority by reviewing the financial records of several struggling congregations.”
Formal · Technical
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English presbetory, presbytory (“part of church reserved for clergy”), from Late Latin presbyterium (“group of presbyters, part of church reserved for clergy”), from Ancient Greek πρεσβῠτέρῐον (presbŭtérĭon, “group of presbyters”), from πρεσβῠ́τερος (presbŭ́teros, “elder, priest”) + -ῐον (-ĭon). By surface analysis, presbyter + -y. Doublet of presbyterium.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/presbytery