different between priestess vs enchantress

English

Alternative forms

• priestress (now chiefly US, nonstandard)

Etymology

From priest +? -ess. Compare Middle English preesteresse (“priestess”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pri??st?s/, /?pri??stes/

Noun

priestess (plural priestesses, masculine priest)

1. A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain non-Christian religions.
2. (religious slur, uncommon) A female Christian priest or minister, typically in a Protestant, Old Catholic, or independent Catholic denomination.
3. (colloquial, obsolete) A priest’s wife.

Usage notes

Chiefly with regard to ancient or Pagan religions, or metaphorically. In Protestant denominations that admit women to the priesthood, such as Anglicanism, they are generally referred to as priests.

Synonyms

• (female non-Christian religious figure): kahuna, mamaloi, mambo
• (priest’s wife): presbytera, presbyteress

Hyponyms

• (female non-Christian religious figure): bacchante, high priestess

Derived terms

• high priestess
• priestesshood
• priestesslike

Translations

Verb

priestess (third-person singular simple present priestesses, present participle priestessing, simple past and past participle priestessed)

1. (transitive) To oversee (a pagan ceremony, etc.) as priestess.

   • Ye Ye Ife, a gifted feminist ritualist and priestess of Oshun from San Diego, trained in the Yoruba tradition, designed and priestessed the ritual with me.

   • 2014, John C. Sulak, Carl Llewellyn Weschcke, Oberon Zell, The Wizard and the Witch: Seven Decades of Counterculture, Magick & Paganism

     I priestessed the ceremony. I played Hecate. One time I played Demeter and my daughter played Persephone.

See also

• abbatess, abbess, abbotess
• adoratrice
• domina
• Mother
• Mother Superior, mother superior
• prioress

English

Alternative forms

• enchauntress, inchantress (both obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English enchaunteresse, from Old French enchanteresse.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n?t?ænt??s/, /?n?t?ænt??s/, /-??s/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n?t???nt??s/, /?n?t???nt??s/, /-??s/

Noun

enchantress (plural enchantresses, masculine enchanter)

1. A woman, especially an attractive one, skilled at using magic; an alluring witch.
2. A beautiful, charming and irresistible woman.

   She was the enchantress of men's hearts.

3. A femme fatale.

   His desire for that enchantress led him to financial ruin!

Synonyms

• (alluring witch): siren, sorceress
• (beautiful woman): See Thesaurus:beautiful woman
• (femme fatale): See Thesaurus:vamp

Translations