Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Essene

noun
Es·​sene | \ i-ˈsēn How to pronounce Essene (audio) , ˈe-ˌsēn How to pronounce Essene (audio) \

Definition of Essene

: a member of a monastic brotherhood of Jews in Palestine from the second century b.c. to the second century a.d.

Other Words from Essene

Essenian \ i-​ˈsē-​nē-​ən How to pronounce Essenian (audio) , e-​ˈsē-​ \ or Essenic \ i-​ˈse-​nik How to pronounce Essenic (audio) , -​ˈsē-​nik , e-​ \ adjective
Essenism \ i-​ˈsē-​ˌni-​zəm How to pronounce Essenism (audio) , e-​ \ noun

First Known Use of Essene

1553, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for Essene

Greek Essēnos

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about Essene

Statistics for Essene

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for Essene

The first known use of Essene was in 1553

See more words from the same year

Comments on Essene

What made you want to look up Essene? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

putsch

Listen to the pronounciation of putsch

a secret plot to overthrow a government

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Words from Greek and Latin Quiz

  • roman forum
  • Which of the following months comes from a Latin word for “ten”?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games