Where does “priestly” come from?
Priestly derives from Middle English prestly, formed with the Middle English suffix -ly from Old English -līċ, which comes from Latin presbyter via the sense of "priest," ultimately tracing to Latin premere meaning "to press" and Proto-Indo-European per-.
priestly (English): Of or relating to priests; order of the priests;...
Definitions
- Of or relating to priests; order of the priests;...
Ancestry of “priestly”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | priesterlich | priestly, clerical |
| 2 | German | Priester | priest; priest; presbyter |
| 3 | Middle High German | priester | — |
| 4 | Old High German | priestar | — |
| 5 | Old French | prestre | priest |
| 6 | Latin | presbyter | an elder, presbyter |
| 7 | Ancient Greek | πρεσβύτερος | older of two people; advanced in life, senior; a... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | πρέσβυς | elderly, aged; old man; elder, chief, prince |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | per- | before, in front; first; to go through |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pr̥tós | passed , crossed |
Words derived from “priestly”