Sadducee

Sad·du·cee

noun \ˈsa-jə-ˌsē, ˈsa-dyə-\

Definition of SADDUCEE

: a member of a Jewish party of the intertestamental period consisting of a traditional ruling class of priests and rejecting doctrines not in the Law (as resurrection, retribution in a future life, and the existence of angels)

— Sad·du·cee·ism \-ˌi-zəm\ noun

Origin of SADDUCEE

Middle English saducee, from Old English sadduce, from Late Latin sadducaeus, from Greek saddoukaios, from Late Hebrew ṣāddūqi

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with SADDUCEE

abatis, ABC, ABD, abductee, absentee, acquiree, addressee, adoptee, advisee, alienee, allottee, amputee, apogee, appellee, appointee, appraisee, après-ski, arrestee, assignee, attendee, auditee, awardee, axletree, BVD, Baha'i, bain-marie, barley-bree, batterie, billi-bi, boiserie, bonhomie, booboisie, bourgeoisie, brasserie, brusquerie, bumblebee, camphor tree, camporee, cap-a-pie, causerie, Chamonix, Cherokee, chickadee, chickaree, chimpanzee, China Sea, Christmas tree, chroma-key, coati, Coligny, conferee, consignee, cop a plea, Coral Sea, counselee, context-free, counterplea, cruelty-free, Danaë, DDT, debauchee, Debussy, departee, deportee, dernier cri, designee, detainee, devisee, devotee, diploe, disagree, dischargee, divorcé, divorcée, DME, dungaree, duty-free, eau-de-vie, employee, endorsee, enlistee, enrollee, enshrinee, epopee, escadrille, escapee, ESP, evictee, expellee, family tree, fancy-free, fantasy, fedayee, fever tree, filigree, fleur-de-lis, franchisee, fricassee, function key, galilee, Galilee, garnishee, gaucherie, Gemini, Greenland Sea, guarani, guarantee, Hawaii, HIV, Holy See, honeybee, honoree, housemaid's knee, humble-bee, inductee, Inland Sea, internee, invitee, Irish Sea, IUD, jacquerie, jamboree, Java Sea, Joshua tree, jubilee, Judas tree, jumper's knee, jus soli, Kayseri, kedgeree, kidnappee, killer bee, LCD, LED, legatee, libelee, licensee, LSD, maître d', Malay Sea, manatee, master key, Mormon tea, mortgagee, murderee, NBC, nominee, obligee, oversea, oversee, Park Chung Hee, parolee, parti pris, pass degree, patentee, pedigree, peppertree, perigee, permittee, pharisee, picotee, piroshki, point d'appui, potpourri, praecipe, presentee, promisee, public-key, rapparee, referee, refugee, rejectee, renminbi, repartee, retiree, returnee, RPV, rubber tree, saddletree, sangaree, Savaii, selectee, Semele, shivaree, slotting fee, snickersnee, spelling bee, spindle tree, SST, STD, Tappan Zee, Tenebrae, Tennessee, third degree, thirty-three, TNT, to a tee, toile de Jouy, torii, transferee, tulip tree, undersea, user fee, vaccinee, value-free, varnish tree, verdigris, VIP, vis-à-vis, wannabe, warrantee, Wounded Knee

Sadducee

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Member of a Jewish priestly sect that flourished for about two centuries, until the destruction (AD 70) of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. Sadducees were generally wealthier, more conservative, and better connected politically than their rivals, the Pharisees. They believed in strict interpretation of the Torah and thus rejected such ideas as immortality of the soul, bodily resurrection after death, and the existence of angels. They viewed Jesus' ministry with mistrust and are believed to have played some part in his death. Their wealth and complicity with Roman rulers made them unpopular with the common people.