(a) A cleric ranking below a bishop and above a deacon; a priest functioning as a parish priest, chaplain, chantry priest, etc.; (b) in combination with other religious types, ranks, and orders: clerk other ~, ~ ne prelate, canoun ~ ne nonne, freres heremites and prestes, bishopes archedekenes and prestes, prestes and monkes, etc.; (c) ordre of ~, the rank or position of priest; bisheren to ~, to tonsure (sb.) as a priest; hoden to ~, i(maken ~, yeven the ordre of ~ to, ordain (sb.) as a priest; taken the ordre of ~, be ordained as a priest; (d) maken ~, to shear off the entire head or its top; -- a parody of tonsuring; ben ~, preside at (someone's) death, kill someone; (e) in proverbs, sayings, and company terms; a discrecioun (discretenes, pontifical, preise, stat) of prestes, a group of priests.

In phrases: (a) annuel ~, annueler ~, ~ annueler, a priest who celebrates anniversary memorial services or who is endowed for this purpose; chaunterie ~, a priest endowed to sing daily Mass for souls [see also chaunterie n. (1) 3. (b)]; ~ curatour, a parish priest; ~ of craft, gilde ~, a priest who serves a guild; messe ~, a priest; ?a secular priest or chantry priest (as opposed to a priest in monastic orders) [see also messe 4. (g)]; also fig.; nonnes ~, a priest serving as chaplain to a nunnery or group of nuns; ~ parochial, the priest administering a parish; perpetuel ~, ~ perpetuel, a priest appointed to a perpetually endowed chantry [see also perpetuel 1. (c)]; povre ~, a member of an itinerant preaching order established by Wyclif [see also povre adj.]; propre ~ [see propre adj. 2a. (d)]; seinte marie ~ a priest who officiates at an altar of St. Mary; ?a priest employed to sing Mass in honor of the Virgin Mary; arche- ~, parishe ~, q.v.; (b) ~ canoun, a priest who is a canon regular; ~ cardinal, cardinal ~, a cardinal priest; ~ heremite, a priest living as a hermit; ~ monk, a monk who is a priest; ~ religious, a priest belonging to a religious order; seculer ~, ~ seculer, ~ of world, a priest who is not a member of a religious order; (c) morn (morwe) messe ~, morn ~, the priest celebrating the first Mass of the day; (d) litel ~, ?a young priest; (e) ~ cappe, a close-fitting cap worn by priests; prestes honde(s, the consecrated hand(s of a priest; prestes mouth, a priest's mouth or words; prestes tides, the divine office recited at the canonical hours by a priest; prestes wif (file, lemman, mere), a priest's wife or concubine.

(a) In a more general sense: any officeholder in the Church; (b) hed (heigh) ~, a high official of the Church, a prelate; heigher ~, a bishop; louere ~, an ordinary priest; ~ of rome, the Pope; also, bishop of Rome [quot.: Wycl.Church].

(a) A presbyter or elder of the Apostolic Church; ~ of chirche; (b) a title of Prester John.

(a) A Jewish priest at any level of the priestly hierarchy; judeish ~, ~ of laue, a Jewish priest; -- in prov. [quot.: (c1384)]; (b) chef (gret, heigh, heighest, maister) ~, maister of prestes, prince of (o) prestes, the high priest; hed (heigh, heighest, principal) prestes, princes of prestes, the chief priests; loue ~, an ordinary Jewish priest; ~ flok, the Jewish priesthood; also, the divisions of the priesthood; prestes kin, blod (kinde) of prestes, priests' stock; (c) ~ cope, the ephod; prestes stole, high priest's robe; also, priest's robe [quot.: 3 Esd.]; (d) a prophet; (e) an elder among the Jews; (f) a rabbi; (g) an important or high-ranking person.

The term 'priest,' Christian or Jewish, especially applied to: (a) Christ; ~ of (over) al prestes; gret ~, Christ as the high priest; (b) one of the redeemed elect on earth or in heaven; (c) John the Baptist; John the Evangelist; (d) an Old Testament Jew; (e) in fig. context, the trappings of a Christian priest.

A non-Christian, non-Jewish priest or religious figure: (a) the pre-Christian, pre-Judaic priest, Melchizedek; (b) a pagan priest; also, a priestess; ~ of laue; (c) a Moslem religious leader.

In comb.: prest(es coroune, a dandelion (Taraxacum officinale).

(a) In surnames; (b) in place names [see Smith PNElem. 2.73].