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
priestly traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via German priesterlich
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | priesterlich | priestly, clerical |
| 2 | German | Priester | priest; priest; presbyter |
| 3 | Middle High German | priester | priest |
| 4 | Old High German | priestar | priest |
| 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 |
via English Priestley
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Priestley | — |
| 2 | Old English | lēah | meadow; clearing with a pigsty; woodland,... |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | lauh | clearing; meadow |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | lauhaz | clearing; meadow |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | lówkos | clearing; open space, clearing; field, meadow |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | lewḱ- | lynx |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | lewk- | bright; to shine; to see |
via Middle English prestly
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | prestly | priestly, priestlike; appropriate for a priest;... |
| 2 | Middle English | prest | loan, borrowing; tax, fee, levy; advance payment |
| 3 | Old French | prest | loan; monetary gift |
| 4 | Latin | pressus | pressed, having been pressed, squeezed;... |
| 5 | Latin | premere | second-person singular future passive indicative... |
| 6 | Latin | premo | I press; I pursue |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | pres- | to press |