priestly

P3R1I1E1S1T1L1Y4
/ˈpɹiːstli/

adjective

Of or relating to priests.

Opposite
Less commonScrabble 13

Meanings

priestly1

adjectivepriestly (comparative more priestly or priestlier, superlative most priestly or priestliest)

comparative more priestly · comparative priestlier · superlative most priestly · superlative priestliest

  1. Of or relating to priests.
  2. Having the appearance of or resembling a priest.

Priestly2

proper nounPriestly (plural Priestlys)

plural Priestlys

  1. A habitational surname from Old English.

Priestly3

adjectivePriestly (not generally comparable, comparative more Priestly, superlative most Priestly)

comparative more Priestly · superlative most Priestly

  1. not comparableusuallyhistoryPertaining to the Priestly source (“P”), one of the sources of the Torah or Pentateuch according to the documentary hypothesis.

    Thus we continue to meet the new Priestly expression, “you (they) shall know that I am Yahweh” […]

    1971, Norman Habel, Literary Criticism of the Old Testament, →ISBN, page 79
    2 more examples

    Then, Welch (1939) went the opposite way, asserting that the original layer, written before the end of the exile showed Deuteronomy’s influence and that more Priestly texts were secondary.

    2004, Steven L. McKenzie, Abingdon Old Testament Commentaries: I & II Chronicles, →ISBN, page 27

    Noth made the necessary objections to that view and demonstrated that these are additions in the Priestly style which presuppose the bringing together of P and the non-Priestly text in Genesis–Numbers and the combination of Genesis–Joshua.

    2005 [2000], Reinhard G. Kratz, translated by John Bowden, The Composition of the Narrative Books of the Old Testament, →ISBN, page 110

Synonyms & antonyms

adjectiveassociated with the priesthood or priests

adjectivebefitting or characteristic of a priest or the priesthood

Similar
Opposite

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

priestly · adjective

  1. Middle Englishprestly
  2. Englishpriestly

From Middle English prestly; equivalent to priest + -ly.

Full word history & related roots →

Priestly · proper noun

Variant of Priestley.

Full word history & related roots →

Priestly · adjective

  1. Germanpriesterlich
  2. EnglishPriestly

Semantic loan from German priesterlich and Priesterschrift (“Priestly source”, literally “priest document”), so called because of the reconstructed source’s emphasis on cultic issues. See priestly.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian свещенически, жречески
  • свещенически (svešteničeski)of or relating to priests
  • жречески (žrečeski)of or relating to priests
German priesterlich
  • priesterlichof or relating to priests
Irish sagartúil
  • sagartúilof or relating to priests
Latin sacerdotālis
  • sacerdotālisof or relating to priests
Polish kapłański
  • kapłańskiof or relating to priests

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with priestly

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

priestly. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priestly

MLA

“priestly.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priestly. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “priestly,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/priestly.

Source: priestly on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.