presbytery

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presbytery

/ˈpɹɛz.bɪ.tɛɹ.i/

Where it comes from

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.

noun presbyteries

The home of a Roman Catholic parish priest. Near-synonyms: curatage, parsonage, vicarage
Similar: rectory, curatage, parsonage, vicarage
A section of a church reserved for the clergy, containing the altar. Near-synonym: chancel (broadly synonymous)
Similar: presbyterium, sanctuary, chancel[Appendix:Glossary
Presbyters collectively; the body of presbyters of a congregation. Meronym: presbyter
The district (jurisdiction) of those presbyters. Near-synonyms: diocese, parish
Similar: diocese, parish
A body of elders in the early Christian church.

Translations

Every language

noun a body of church elders

Español	presbiterio
Português	presbitério
Italiano	presbiterio
Română	prezbiteriu

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MLA

"presbytery." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/presbytery. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

presbytery. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/presbytery

Chicago

"presbytery." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/presbytery.

BibTeX

@misc{presbytery_2026,
  title = {presbytery},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/presbytery},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}