different between priestess vs oracle

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

Etymology

From Middle English oracle, from Old French oracle, from Latin ?r?culum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /????k?l/, /????k?l/
• Homophone: auricle

Noun

oracle (plural oracles)

1. A shrine dedicated to some prophetic deity.
2. A person such as a priest through whom the deity is supposed to respond with prophecy or advice.

   Synonym: prophet

3. A prophetic response, often enigmatic or allegorical, so given.
4. A person considered to be a source of wisdom.

   Synonym: expert
5. A wise sentence or decision of great authority.
6. One who communicates a divine command; an angel; a prophet.
7. (Jewish antiquity) The sanctuary, or most holy place in the temple; also, the temple itself.
8. (computing theory) A theoretical entity capable of answering some collection of questions.
9. (cryptocurrencies) A third-party service that provides smart contracts with information from the outside world.

Derived terms

• oracle card
• oracle machine
• dice oracle

Translations

Verb

oracle (third-person singular simple present oracles, present participle oracling, simple past and past participle oracled)

1. (obsolete) To utter oracles or prophecies.

Translations

Anagrams

• Calero, Carole, Cleora, coaler, recoal

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin oraculum.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /o??a.kl?/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /u??a.kl?/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /o??a.kle/

Noun

oracle m (plural oracles)

1. oracle

Further reading

• “oracle” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ?r?culum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?.?akl/

Noun

oracle m (plural oracles)

1. oracle

Further reading

• “oracle” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• Carole, racole, racolé

Middle English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French oracle, from Latin ?r?culum.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???ra?k?l/

Noun

oracle (plural oracles)

1. (Late Middle English) A shrine where hidden religious knowledge is imparted.
2. (Late Middle English, rare) A heavenly or godly message.

Descendants

• English: oracle
• Scots: oracle

References

• “?r?cle, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007, retrieved 2018-06-2.