Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A court composed of Presbyterian Church ministers and representative elders of a particular locality.
- noun The district represented by this court.
- noun Presbyters considered as a group.
- noun Government of a church by presbyters.
- noun The section of a church reserved for the clergy.
- noun Roman Catholic Church The residence of a priest.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A body of presbyters or elders in the Christian church; the body or class of presbyters taken collectively.
- noun In churches holding the Presbyterian form of government, a judicatory which ranks next above the session and below the synod.
- noun The ecclesiastical district or division under the jurisdiction of a presbyter.
- noun [capitalized] The Presbyterian polity.
- noun In architecture, the part of the church appropriated to the clergy; in the early church, and in the Greek Church, the space between the altar and apse, or the whole sanctuary; afterward, the space near the altar, or the sedilia; in later medieval and modern use, the space in a cathedral or large church (often raised) between the choir and the altar; less strictly, the choir or chancel. Also
presbyterium . See diagram under cathedral. - noun A clergyman's house; a parsonage.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A body of elders in the early Christian church.
- noun (Presbyterian Ch.) A judicatory consisting of all the ministers within a certain district, and one layman, who is a ruling elder, from each parish or church, commissioned to represent the church in conjunction with the pastor. This body has a general jurisdiction over the churches under its care, and next below the provincial synod in authority.
- noun rare The Presbyterian religion of polity.
- noun (Arch.) That part of the church reserved for the officiating priest.
- noun The residence of a priest or clergyman.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The home of a Roman Catholic
parish priest . - noun A body of
elders in the early Christian church. - noun A section of the church reserved for the
clergy . - noun
Presbyters collectively.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun building reserved for the officiating clergy
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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This care, due to the most principal and worthy person, was always committed to the bishop; and when the churches were many, the propositions and deliberations were made by the bishop first in the college of the priests and deacons, which they called the presbytery, and there were ripened, to receive afterward the last resolution in the general congregation of the church.
A Discourse concerning Evangelical Love, Church Peace, and Unity 1616-1683 1965
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Presbyterial, consisting of the ministers and elders of several adjacent or neighboring single congregations, or parish churches, ruling those several congregations in common; this kind of assembly is commonly called the presbytery, or, for distinction's sake, the classical presbytery, i.e. the presbytery of such a rank of churches.
The Divine Right of Church Government by Sundry Ministers Of Christ Within The City Of London
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In modern times the house of the clergy is frequently called the presbytery (presbytère).
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 12: Philip II-Reuss 1840-1916 1913
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He visited the "presbytery" -- a small and pretty dwelling in the old colonial style -- which had, indeed,
Mystère de la chambre jaune. English Gaston Leroux 1897
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As a Presbyterian Church USA congregation, MBCC will work with the local governing called a "presbytery" to move through a process of seeking and calling a new pastor.
Bruce Reyes-Chow: Pastoral Transitions In A Social Media World Bruce Reyes-Chow 2011
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As a Presbyterian Church USA congregation, MBCC will work with the local governing called a "presbytery" to move through a process of seeking and calling a new pastor.
Bruce Reyes-Chow: Pastoral Transitions In A Social Media World Bruce Reyes-Chow 2011
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But whether he intend thereby to entitle the presbytery to the supreme power ecclesiastical in the Commonwealth of Geneva, and consequently to every presbytery in every other Commonwealth, or to princes and other civil sovereigns, I do not know.
Leviathan 2007
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The chancel was the most important part of a church: the high altar and the holy relics were kept at the far east end, called the presbytery, and most of the services took place in the quire, where the monks sat.
The Pillars of the Earth FOLLETT, Ken 1989
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The six eastern bays of the presbytery are his work.
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Under the last arch of the presbytery is the fine monument of Bishop
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