Afrikaans priester | ||
Albanian prift | ||
Amharic ካህን | ||
Arabic كاهن | ||
Armenian քահանա | ||
Assamese পূজাৰী | ||
Aymara tatakura | ||
Azerbaijani keşiş | ||
Bambara sarakalasebaga | ||
Basque apaiz | ||
Belarusian святар | ||
Bengali পুরোহিত | ||
Bhojpuri पुजारी | ||
Bosnian sveštenik | ||
Bulgarian свещеник | ||
Catalan sacerdot | ||
Cebuano pari | ||
Chinese (Simplified) 牧师 | ||
Chinese (Traditional) 牧師 | ||
Corsican prete | ||
Croatian svećenik | ||
Czech kněz | ||
Danish præst | ||
Dhivehi އަޅުވެރިޔާ | ||
Dogri पजारी | ||
Dutch priester | ||
English priest | ||
Esperanto pastro | ||
Estonian preester | ||
Ewe trɔ̃nua | ||
Filipino (Tagalog) pari | ||
Finnish pappi | ||
French prêtre | ||
Frisian pryster | ||
Galician sacerdote | ||
Georgian მღვდელი | ||
German priester | ||
Greek παπάς | ||
Guarani pa'i | ||
Gujarati પાદરી | ||
Haitian Creole prèt | ||
Hausa firist | ||
Hawaiian kahuna | ||
Hebrew כּוֹמֶר | ||
Hindi पुजारी | ||
Hmong pov thawj | ||
Hungarian pap | ||
Icelandic prestur | ||
Igbo oku | ||
Ilocano padi | ||
Indonesian imam | ||
Irish sagart | ||
Italian sacerdote | ||
Japanese 祭司 | ||
Javanese pandhita | ||
Kannada ಪಾದ್ರಿ | ||
Kazakh діни қызметкер | ||
Khmer បូជាចារ្យ | ||
Kinyarwanda padiri | ||
Konkani भट | ||
Korean 성직자 | ||
Krio prist | ||
Kurdish keşîş | ||
Kurdish (Sorani) قەشە | ||
Kyrgyz дин кызматчысы | ||
Lao ປະໂລຫິດ | ||
Latin sacerdos | ||
Latvian priesteris | ||
Lingala nganga-nzambe | ||
Lithuanian kunigas | ||
Luganda kabona | ||
Luxembourgish paschtouer | ||
Macedonian свештеник | ||
Maithili पुजारी | ||
Malagasy mpisorona | ||
Malay paderi | ||
Malayalam പുരോഹിതൻ | ||
Maltese qassis | ||
Maori tohunga | ||
Marathi पुजारी | ||
Meiteilon (Manipuri) ꯄꯟꯗꯤꯠ | ||
Mizo puithiam | ||
Mongolian тахилч | ||
Myanmar (Burmese) ဘုန်းကြီး | ||
Nepali पुजारी | ||
Norwegian prest | ||
Nyanja (Chichewa) wansembe | ||
Odia (Oriya) ପୁରୋହିତ | ||
Oromo luba | ||
Pashto کاهن | ||
Persian کشیش | ||
Polish kapłan | ||
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) sacerdote | ||
Punjabi ਪੁਜਾਰੀ | ||
Quechua tayta cura | ||
Romanian preot | ||
Russian священник | ||
Samoan patele | ||
Sanskrit पुरोहित | ||
Scots Gaelic sagart | ||
Sepedi moruti | ||
Serbian свештеник | ||
Sesotho moprista | ||
Shona mupristi | ||
Sindhi پادري | ||
Sinhala (Sinhalese) පූජකයා | ||
Slovak kňaz | ||
Slovenian duhovnik | ||
Somali wadaadka | ||
Spanish sacerdote | ||
Sundanese pandita | ||
Swahili kuhani | ||
Swedish präst | ||
Tagalog (Filipino) pari | ||
Tajik коҳин | ||
Tamil பாதிரியார் | ||
Tatar рухани | ||
Telugu పూజారి | ||
Thai ปุโรหิต | ||
Tigrinya ቀሺ | ||
Tsonga mufundhisi | ||
Turkish rahip | ||
Turkmen ruhany | ||
Twi (Akan) sɔfoɔ | ||
Ukrainian священик | ||
Urdu پادری | ||
Uyghur روھانىي | ||
Uzbek ruhoniy | ||
Vietnamese thầy tu | ||
Welsh offeiriad | ||
Xhosa umbingeleli | ||
Yiddish גאַלעך | ||
Yoruba alufaa | ||
Zulu umpristi |
| Language | Etymology / Notes |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans | In Afrikaans, "priester" not only refers to a priest but also means "pillar" or "support". |
| Albanian | The word "prift" in Albanian is derived from Ancient Greek "presbyteros", meaning "elder". |
| Amharic | The word “ካህን” can also mean a sorcerer or diviner. |
| Arabic | كاهن "Kahen" originated as the Akkadian "kāhinu," which originally meant "soothsayer or magician" |
| Armenian | The word "քահանա" (priest) in Armenian is derived from the Persian word "kahan", meaning "prophet" or "seer". |
| Azerbaijani | The word “keşiş” in Azerbaijani also refers to a Christian monk. |
| Basque | The word “apaiz” derives from "ape-tz", meaning "son of the father." |
| Belarusian | The word "святар" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word *svętъ, meaning "holy" or "sacred". |
| Bengali | The word "পুরোহিত" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुरोहित", meaning "one who is placed in front" or "chief". It can also refer to a family priest or a spiritual guide. |
| Bosnian | The word 'sveštenik' is derived from the Proto-Slavic word 'svętъ', meaning 'holy' or 'sacred'. |
| Bulgarian | "Свещеник" also means "candle maker" and comes from the common Slavic "свѣшта" (свещ) - candle. |
| Catalan | The word "sacerdot" in Catalan derives from the Latin word "sacerdos", meaning "one who performs sacred duties". |
| Cebuano | In Tagalog, the word 'pari' also means 'fragrant' or 'fragrant flower'. |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 牧师, 牧, 放牧; 师, 管理, 指导; 牧师, 指引导人放牧和生活的人. |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 牧師 (Traditional Chinese) can also mean a Protestant minister, a pastor, a shepherd, or a grazier. |
| Corsican | The Corsican word "prete" comes from the Latin word "presbyter", which means "elder" or "leader of the community". |
| Croatian | The word "svećenik" is derived from the Old Slavic word "svętiti" meaning "to make holy" or "to consecrate". |
| Czech | The word "kněz" is derived from the Slavic word "kъnędzь", which originally meant "ruler" or "prince". It has also been used in the past to refer to a secular leader or a pagan priest. |
| Danish | The word "præst" in Danish comes from the Proto-Germanic word "*prestaz", which also meant "elder" or "leader". |
| Dutch | The word "priester" in Dutch derives from the Greek word "presbuteros", meaning "elder" or "senior". |
| Esperanto | The word |
| Estonian | The word "preester" is derived from the Proto-Germanic word "preistar", meaning "elder" or "leader". |
| Finnish | "Pappa" is also a form of address to one's father as well as a loan word meaning "pope". |
| French | The word "prêtre" is derived from the Latin "presbyter", meaning "elder" or "leader of a community". |
| Frisian | The Old Frisian word 'pryster' may also refer to a wooden wedge in the construction of fences or ships. |
| Galician | The Galician word "sacerdote" comes from the Latin word "sacerdos" (priest), but it can also refer to a pagan priest or a member of a religious order. |
| Georgian | "მღვდელი" (priest) in Georgian is literally translated to "one who performs the sacrifice" and can also refer to a "doctor" in certain contexts. |
| German | Der Begriff "Priester" leitet sich vom indogermanischen Wortstamm *preh₂- ab, der "für andere sorgen" bedeutet und in vielen indoeuropäischen Sprachen zu finden ist. |
| Greek | "Παπάς" ultimately means "father" and comes from the childish "papa". |
| Gujarati | "પાદરી" is derived from the word "પાદ" meaning foot, and originally referred to a religious mendicant who went barefoot. |
| Haitian Creole | The Haitian Creole word "prèt" derives from the French word "prêtre," and also means "pastor" in a Protestant church. |
| Hausa | The word 'firist' is also used to mean 'leader' or 'chief' in Hausa, indicating the important role that priests play in their communities. |
| Hawaiian | In modern Hawaiian, 'kahuna' can also refer to an expert or authority in a secular field. |
| Hebrew | The word is related Akkadian “kamāru” meaning “to cover” and thus relates to “protection” and “ritual purity”. |
| Hindi | पुजारी is a Hindi loanword from the Sanskrit word 'पूजक' meaning 'one who worships' and can also refer to other roles like 'idol-maker' and 'magician'. |
| Hmong | The word "pov thawj" can also mean "father" or "grandfather" in Hmong. |
| Hungarian | The Hungarian word for "priest" (pap) derives from an old Proto-Slavic term for elder or old man, meaning "father" in many Slavic languages. |
| Icelandic | In Icelandic, the word "prestur" is derived from the Old Norse "prestr", which means "priest," and also has the alternate meaning of "chief" or "leader." |
| Igbo | "Oku" is derived from the word "oku okuko", meaning "one who leads the community in prayer." |
| Indonesian | The word "Imam" in Indonesian can also refer to a Muslim leader, a prayer leader, or a person who leads a group in prayer. |
| Irish | The word 'sagart' in Irish is derived from the Latin 'sacerdos' meaning 'sacrificer' and is also used to refer to a Catholic priest. |
| Italian | The Italian word "sacerdote" derives from the Latin word "sacerdos," meaning "one who performs sacred rites." |
| Japanese | The term 祭司 can also refer to a female priest, or to the person in charge of a Shinto shrine. |
| Javanese | In Javanese, "pandhita" can also refer to a traditional spiritual healer or a religious expert with knowledge in ancient scriptures. |
| Kannada | "ಪಾದ್ರಿ" is the Kannada word for "priest," derived from the Sanskrit word "padri," which means "one who reads or interprets scriptures." |
| Kazakh | The word "діни қызметкер" ("priest") in Kazakh derives from the Arabic word "khaddem", meaning "servant". It can also refer to a "custodian" or "trustee". |
| Korean | The word 성직자 (priest) originally meant someone who performed sacrifices to deities. |
| Kurdish | The word 'keşîş' may also refer to a 'bishop' or 'anchorite'. |
| Kyrgyz | The word "дин кызматчысы" can also refer to a religious leader or teacher in some contexts. |
| Lao | The word "ປະໂລຫິດ" is derived from the Sanskrit word "पुरोहित" (purohita), meaning "one who is placed before" or "one who is charged with a sacred office or duty." |
| Latin | "Sacerdos" originally meant "one who cuts," referring to the practice of animal sacrifice. |
| Latvian | The word "priesteris" in Latvian also refers to a member of the Catholic clergy below the rank of deacon, as well as a Protestant minister. |
| Lithuanian | The Lithuanian word "kunigas" is cognate with "kuningas", the word for "king" in Estonian and Finnish. |
| Luxembourgish | The Luxembourgish word "Paschtouer" derives from Middle Low German and is related to Old French "pasteur". It is the archaic term for Protestant clergyman and is still occasionally used in the north of the country. |
| Macedonian | The word "свештеник" in Macedonian comes from the Old Church Slavonic word "свѧштеникъ" (svętěnikъ), meaning "one who performs sacred rites". |
| Malagasy | The Malagasy word "mpisorona" also means "intermediary, one who brings people together" |
| Malay | The term "paderi" can also refer to non-ordained religious teachers or advisors. |
| Malayalam | The Malayalam word "പുരോഹിതൻ" originally referred to the head of the household and also denotes the priestly caste. |
| Maltese | The word "qassis" is also used to refer to a "priest in general" or a "non-Christian priest" in Maltese. |
| Maori | In Maori, tohunga also refers to experts in other fields, such as builders, healers, and tattooists. |
| Marathi | The Marathi word "पुजारी" can also refer to an idol or a devotee. |
| Mongolian | The word "тахилч" can also refer to a person who performs religious rituals or a shaman. |
| Nepali | "पुजारी" is derived from the Sanskrit word "pujya" meaning "worthy of worship" and "-ari" indicating a person or agent, thus denoting "one who performs worship". |
| Norwegian | Prest derives from Old Norse 'prestr', ultimately from Greek 'presbyteros' ('elder'), also the source of 'priest' in English. |
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | The word "wansembe" derives from the root "nsembera," meaning "to offer to spirits." |
| Pashto | کاهن (kahin) is derived from the Arabic verb کُہن (kahana), meaning "to guess". |
| Persian | The word "کشیش" (priest) in Persian can also refer to a "mediator" or "intercessor". |
| Polish | The Polish word "kapłan" derives from the Latin "capire," meaning "to take," and originally referred to the act of receiving communion. |
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | The Portuguese word 'sacerdote' comes from the Latin 'sacerdos', which originally meant 'officer of a sacred rite'. |
| Punjabi | The word "pujari" in Punjabi originates from the Sanskrit word "pujika," meaning "one who worships" or "offerer of homage." |
| Romanian | The word "preot" in Romanian derives from the Slavic word "pret" meaning "elder" or "leader". |
| Russian | Священник is derived from the Old Slavic word 'свѧто' meaning 'holy,' and carries connotations of mediation and divine service. |
| Samoan | The etymology of "patele" suggests a deeper meaning of "one who has authority". |
| Scots Gaelic | According to Gaelic etymology, 'sagart' is derived from Latin 'sacerdos' (priest). |
| Serbian | The word "свештеник" (priest) is derived from the Old Church Slavonic word "свѣштникъ" (candle), indicating the priest's role as a spiritual guide and illuminator. |
| Sesotho | The word "moprista" is derived from the Greek word "presbyteros" which literally means "elder". |
| Shona | "Mupristi" is a Shona word often translated as "priest". It can also mean "elder" or "chief". |
| Sindhi | Sindhi word "پادري" is derived from the Portuguese word "padre" meaning "father" or "priest". |
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | The Sinhalese word "පූජකයා" also refers to "venerable ones", like monks and ascetics. |
| Slovak | The word "kňaz" is derived from the Proto-Slavic word "kъnędzь", meaning "prince" or "ruler". |
| Slovenian | The word "duhovnik" can also mean "spiritual guide" or "confessor" in Slovenian. |
| Somali | "Wadaadka" derives from the Arabic term "Wādi'a", meaning "to entrust or leave something", referring to the priest's role as a spiritual guide in the community |
| Spanish | "Sacerdote" originates from the Latin word "sacerdos," meaning "consecrated" or "dedicated to the gods." |
| Sundanese | The word "pandita" in Sundanese also means "scholar" and "teacher" |
| Swahili | The word 'kuhani' in Swahili might derive from the Proto-Bantu noun '-fũŋi' ('ancestor'). |
| Swedish | The Swedish word "präst" comes from the Old Norse word "prestr", which is derived from the Latin word "presbyter", meaning "elder". |
| Tagalog (Filipino) | The word "pari" in Tagalog can also refer to a traditional healer or shaman. |
| Tajik | The word "коҳин" (priest) in Tajik is derived from the Persian word "kahin" (priest) and ultimately from the Arabic word "kāhin" (diviner). |
| Telugu | The word "పూజారి" also means "one who worships" or "one who serves" in Telugu. |
| Thai | The word "ปุโรหิต" is derived from Sanskrit and can also mean "one who sits before others" or "senior monk". |
| Turkish | The word "rahip" in Turkish is of Greek origin, deriving from the word "hiereus", which means "performer of sacred rites". |
| Ukrainian | The Ukrainian word "священик" also has the alternate meaning of "minister of religion". |
| Urdu | The word "پادری" (priest) is also used in Urdu to refer to a type of small prayer rug or doormat. |
| Uzbek | Alternate meanings of "ruhoniy" in Uzbek include spirituality, religiousness, and religiosity. |
| Vietnamese | "Thầy tu" is also used metaphorically to refer to someone or something that serves as a guide or mentor. |
| Welsh | The word "offeiriad" comes from the Latin word "offere", meaning "to offer". |
| Xhosa | The word "umbingeleli" also means "mediator" or "intercessor" in Xhosa. |
| Yiddish | The word "գալէխ" (priest) comes from the Aramaic word "galyana", meaning "stranger, foreigner" |
| Yoruba | It is derived from the word "alaafia" meaning "peace". |
| Zulu | The word 'umpristi' is also used to refer to a spiritual leader or traditional healer in Zulu culture. |
| English | The word "priest" is derived from the Greek word "presbuteros," which means "elder," and can also refer to the leader of a Christian community. |