English → Latin
“priest” in Latin
sacerdōspriest, priestess, clericpresbyterelder, presbytercūriōthe priest of a curia; a heraldpontifexan ancient Roman high priest, state minister, pontiff; a pontiff or bishop of the early Christian church, now specifical
The English word priest itself goes back to Latin presbyter.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
priest
sacerdos (a sacrificer, heathen or Jewish): presbyter (in the Christian sense) or sacrorum antistes. A parish priest, curio (in the Roman sense, president of a curia): high or chief priest, pontifex.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for priest?
- The usual Latin words for “priest” are sacerdōs, presbyter, cūriō; also pontifex. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.