Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

presbytery

play
noun pres·by·tery \ ˈprez-bə-ˌter-ē , ˈpres- , -bə-trē \

Definition of presbytery

plural presbyteries
1 :the part of a church reserved for the officiating clergy
2 :a ruling body in presbyterian churches consisting of the ministers and representative elders from congregations within a district
3 :the jurisdiction of a presbytery
4 :the house of a Roman Catholic parish priest

See presbytery defined for English-language learners

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins
alt-59bab5dbb4997
Trending: 'Bodega' Startup Draws Criticism, Mockery
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

Origin and Etymology of presbytery

Middle English & Late Latin; Middle English presbytory part of church reserved for clergy, from Late Latin presbyterium group of presbyters, part of church reserved for clergy, from Greek presbyterion group of presbyters, from presbyteros elder, priest

PRESBYTERY Defined for English Language Learners

presbytery

play
noun

Definition of presbytery for English Language Learners

  • : a group of ministers and elders who are the leaders of the Presbyterian churches in a particular area

  • : the house where a Roman Catholic priest lives

Learn More about presbytery

  1. See words that rhyme with presbytery Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about presbytery

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

glabrous

play

smooth or hairless

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  2. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

  3. allegory No spoilers!

  4. hurricane 'A tropical cyclone'

  5. rescind To take away; cancel; repeal

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

presbytery

Test Your Vocabulary

Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

  • stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
  • Which is a synonym of fuliginous?
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

alt-59bff395cf879
What's Going On With 'Nonplussed'?

Its recent usage is hard to shrug off.

alt-59bad350d88f1
Welcome to the New Words

From 'hive mind' to 'sriracha'

image2143067130
9 Slang Words With Academic Origins

Class is in session.

image624847743
8 Foods Named After Real People

A delicious collection of eponymous foods

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
name-that-color-logo
Name that Color!

NEW! Additional colors! More obscure than before!

Take the quiz
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game