Online Etymology Dictionary

priesthood: O.E. preosthad; see priest + -hood. Priestcraft originally was "the business of being a priest" (late 15c.); after rise of Protestantism and the Enlightenment, it acquired a pejorative sense of "arts of ambitious priests for temporal power and social control" (1680s).
priest: O.E. preost, shortened from the older Gmc. form represented by O.S., O.H.G. prestar, O.Fris. prestere, from V.L. *prester "priest," from L.L. presbyter "presbyter, elder," from Gk. presbyteros (see Presbyterian). In O.T. sense, a translation of Heb. kohen, Gk. hiereus, L. sacerdos.
lama: "Buddhist priest of Mongolia or Tibet," 1654, from Tibetan blama "chief, high priest," with silent b-.
Cohen: Jewish surname indicating priestly descent, from Heb. kohen "priest," from base of kihen "he acted as priest," rel. to Arabic kahana "he divined, prophesied."
hieratic: 1656 (implied in hieratical), from Gk. hieratikos, from hierateia "priesthood," from hierasthai "be a priest," from hiereus "priest," from hieros "sacred."
pontiff: c.1600, "high priest," from Fr. pontif (early 16c.), from L. pontifex, title of a Roman high priest (see pontifex). Used for "bishop" in Church Latin, but not recorded in that sense in English until 1670s, specifically "the bishop of Rome," the pope. Pontifical, however, is used with this sense from mid-15c.
sacerdotal: c.1400, from O.Fr. sacerdotal, from L. sacerdotalis "of or pertaining to a priest," from sacerdos (gen. sacerdotis) "priest," lit. "offerer of sacrifices," from sacer "holy" + stem of dare "to give" (see date (1)).
powwow: 1624, "priest, sorcerer," from a southern New England Algonquian language (probably Narragansett) powwow "shaman, medicine man, Indian priest," from a verb meaning "to use divination, to dream," from Proto-Algonquian *pawe:wa "he dreams, one who dreams." Meaning "magical ceremony among N.Amer. Indians" is recorded from 1663. Sense of "council, conference, meeting" is first recorded 1812. Verb sense of "to confer, discuss" is attested from 1780.
minister: c.1300, "one who acts upon the authority of another," from O.Fr. ministre "servant," from L. minister (gen. ministri) "servant, priest's assistant" (in M.L. "priest"), from minus, minor "less," hence "subordinate," + comp. suffix *-teros. Meaning "priest" is attested in Eng. from early 14c. Political sense of "high officer of the state" is attested from 1620s, from notion of "service to the crown." The verb is from c.1300, originally "to serve (food or drink)."
hierarchy: c.1343, from O.Fr. ierarchie, from M.L. hierarchia "ranked division of angels" (in the system of Dionysius the Areopagite), from Gk. hierarchia "rule of a high priest," from hierarches "high priest, leader of sacred rites," from ta hiera "the sacred rites" (neut. pl. of hieros "sacred") + archein "to lead, rule." Sense of "ranked organization of persons or things" first recorded 1619, initially of clergy, probably infl. by higher.
Prester John: c.1300, Prestre Johan, legendary medieval Christian king and priest, said to have ruled either in the Far East or Ethiopia. From V.L. *prester, a transition between L. presbyter and Eng. priest. First mentioned in the West by mid-12c. chronicler Otto of Freising, who told how Johannes Presbyter won a great victory over the Persians and the Medes. Between 1165 and 1177 a forged letter purporting to be from him circulated in Europe. Reflects the time when the Christian West was culturally backwards and militarily threatened, dreaming of a mythical deliverer. Cf. O.Fr. prestre Jehan (13c.), It. prete Gianni.
parakeet: 1621, from Sp. perquito; earlier Eng. form parroket (1581) is from M.Fr. paroquet, from O.Fr. paroquet (14c.), which is said by etymologists of Fr. to be from It. parrocchetto, lit. "little priest," from parroco "parish priest," from Church L. parochus (see parish), or parrucchetto, dim. of parrucca "peruke, periwig," in ref. to the head plumage. The Sp. form, meanwhile, is sometimes said to be a dim. of Perico, familiar form of Pedro "Peter," and the O.Fr. word is likewise perhaps from or infl. by a dim. of Pierre "Peter." The relations of the Sp. and It. forms, and the influence of folk etymology on either or both, are uncertain.
Eli: male proper name, in O.T., name of a high priest of Israel, teacher of Samuel, from Heb., lit. "high."
kahuna: 1886, "Hawaiian priest or minister, expert or wise man," from Hawaiian, where it was applied to priests, doctors, sorcerers, and navigators. In surfer slang, for "a god of surfing," it is attested from 1962 (but big kahuna in same sense is said to date from 1950s).
ministry: late 14c., "function of a priest," from L. ministerium "office, service," from minister (see minister). Began to be used 1916 as name of certain departments in British government.
liberation: mid-15c.; see liberate. liberation theology (1969) translates Sp. teologia de la liberación, coined 1968 by Peruvian priest Gustavo Gutiérrez.
curate: mid-14c., from M.L. curatus "one responsible for the care (of souls)," from L. curatus, pp. of curare "to take care of." Church of England sense of "paid deputy priest of a parish" first recorded 1550s.
padre: "priest, chaplain," 1584, from It., Sp. or Port. padre, from L. patrem (nom. pater) "father." The title of the regular clergy in those languages. Papar was the name the Norse gave to Irish monks whom they found in Iceland when they arrived.
tai chi: 1736, the "supreme ultimate" in Taoism and Neo-Confucianism, from Chinese tai "extreme" + ji "limit." The form of martial arts training (said to have been developed by a priest in the Sung dynasty, 960-1279) is first attested 1962, in full, tai chi ch'uan, with Chinese quan "fist."
flamen: "ancient Roman priest," 1530s, from L. flamen, of unknown origin, perhaps from the same PIE root as Goth. blotan, O.E. blotan "to sacrifice." Also used from early 14c. in reference to the ancient pre-Christian British priests, in imitation of Geoffrey of Monmouth.
shrift: O.E. scrift "confession to priest, followed by penance and absolution," verbal noun from scrifan "to impose penance" (see shrive). Short shrift was originally the brief time for a condemned criminal to confess before execution (1594); fig. extension to "little or no consideration" is first attested 1814.
Sadducee: O.E., from L.L. Sadducaei (pl.), from Gk. Zaddoukaios, from Heb. tzedoqi, from personal name Tzadhoq "Zadok" (2 Sam. viii:17), the high priest from whom the priesthood of the captivity claimed descent. According to Josephus, the sect denied the resurrection of the dead and the existence of angels and spirits; but later historians regard them as more the political party of the priestly class than a sect per se.
confessional: "place where a priest sits to hear confession," 1727, from Fr. confessional, from M.L. confessionale, neut. of confessionalis (adj.), from confiteri (see confess).
mortuary: early 14c., from Anglo-Fr. mortuarie "gift to a parish priest from a deceased parishioner," from M.L. mortuarium, from neut. of mortuarius "pertaining to the dead," from L. mortuus, pp. of mori "to die" (see mortal). Meaning "place where bodies are kept temporarily" first recorded 1865, a euphemism for earlier deadhouse.
manual (n.): early 15c., "service book used by a priest," from O.Fr. manuel, from L.L. manuale "case or cover of a book, handbook," neut. of L. manualis (see manual (adj.)). Meaning "a concise handbook" of any sort is from 1530s.
Laocoon: Trojan priest of Apollo, from L. Laocoon, from Gk. Laukoun, from laos "people" + koeo "I mark, perceive."
Arian: 1530s, pertaining to the doctrines of Arius, priest in Alexandria early 4c., who posed the question of Christ's nature in terms which appeared to debase the Savior's relation to God (denial of consubstantiation). Besides taking an abstract view of Christ's nature, he reaffirmed man's capacity for perfection. The dissention was widespread and split the Church for about a century during a crucial time. Arianism is attested from c.1600.
lackluster: c.1600, first attested in "As You Like It," from lack + luster. Combinations with lack- were frequent in 16c., e.g. lackland (1590s), of a landless man; lack-Latin (1530s), of an ignorant priest.
commence: early 14c., from O.Fr. comencier, from V.L. *cominitiare, orig. "to initiate as priest, consecrate," from L. com- "together" + initiare "to initiate."
cleric: 1620s, from L.L. clericus "clergyman, priest" (4c.), lit. "belonging to the clerus;" from Gk. klerikos, originally "pertaining to an inheritance," in Christian use "pertaining to the ecclesiastical order," from kleros "lot, allotment, piece of land, heritage," which was in Church use from 2c. (see clerk). A word taken up in Mod.Eng. after clerk took its modern meaning.
officiate: 1630s, "to perform a duty," especially "to perform the duty of a priest," from M.L. officiatum, pp. of officiare "perform religious services," from L. officium (see office).
satisfaction: c.1300, "performance of an act set forth by a priest or other Church authority to atone for sin," from L. satisfactionem (nom. satisfactio) "a satisfying of a creditor," from satisfacere (see satisfy). Sense of "contentment" first recorded 1382; not common before 16c. Satisfactory is attested from 1547, from L.L. satisfactorius, from L. satisfactus, pp. of satisfacere.
guru: 1800, gooroo, from Hindi guru "teacher, priest," from Skt. guru-s "one to be honored, teacher," lit. "heavy, weighty," from PIE base *gru- (see grave (adj.)). Generalized sense of "mentor" is from 1940; sense of "expert in something" first recorded c.1966 in Canadian Eng. in ref. to Marshall McLuhan.
Judas: biblical betrayer of Christ, Latin form of Gk. Ioudas, from Heb. Yehudha (see Judah). As a name for a malicious traitor, it is attested from 1489. Judas priest as an exclamation in place of "Jesus Christ" is from 1914. Judas tree (1668) supposedly was the type from which Judas hanged himself. The Judas goat (1941) leads sheep to the shackling pen.
shaman: 1698, "priest of the Ural-Altaic peoples," probably via Ger. Schamane, from Rus. shaman, from Tungus shaman, which is perhaps from Chinese sha men "Buddhist monk," from Prakrit samaya-, from Skt. sramana-s "Buddhist ascetic."
pere: 1619, "a French priest," from Fr. père "father," from L. patrem (nom. pater), see father. Attached to a name, to distinguish father from son of the same name, from 1802.
kindergarten: 1852, from Ger., lit. "children's garden," from Kinder "children" (pl. of Kind "child") + Garten "garden" (see yard (1)). Coined 1840 by Friedrich Fröbel (1782-1852) in ref. to his method of developing intelligence in young children, the first one in Eng. established 1850 by Johannes Ronge, Ger. Catholic priest. Taken into Eng. untranslated, where other nations that borrowed the institution nativized the name (cf. Dan. börnehave, Modern Heb. gan yeladim, lit. "garden of children").
mitre: "bishop's tall hat," late 14c., from O.Fr. mitre, from L. mitra, from Gk. mitra "headband, turban," earlier a piece of armor worn about the waist, from PIE base *mei- "to tie" (cf. Skt. Mitrah, O.Pers. Mithra-, god names; Rus. mir "world, peace," Gk. mitos "a warp thread"). In L., "a kind of headdress common among Asiatics, the wearing of which by men was regarded in Rome as a mark of effeminacy" [OED]. But the word was used in Vulgate to translate Heb. micnepheth "headdress of a priest."
marry (v.): c.1300, from O.Fr. marier, from L. maritare "to wed, marry, give in marriage," from maritus "married man, husband," of uncertain origin, perhaps ult. from "provided with a *mari," a young woman, from PIE base *meri- "young wife," akin to *meryo- "young man" (cf. Skt. marya- "young man, suitor"). Said from 1530 of the priest, etc., who performs the rite. Related: Married; marrying.
Thomas: from Gk. Thomas, of Aramaic origin and said to mean "a twin" (John's gospel refers to Thomas as ho legomenos didymos "called the twin;" cf. Syriac toma "twin," Arabic tau'am "twin"). Before the Conquest, found only as the name of a priest. After 1066, one of the most common given names. Doubting Thomas is from John xx:25; A Thomist (1533, from M.L. Thomista, 1359) is a follower of 13c. scholastic theologian St. Thomas Aquinas. (Also see Tom, Tommy).
quiet (n.): c.1300, from O.Fr. quiete, from L. quies (gen. quietis) "rest, quiet," from PIE base *qwi- "rest" (cf. Goth. hveila, O.E. hwil "space of time;" see while). The adj. is attested from 1382; the verb is first attested 1440. Quietism is attested from 1687, on model of mysticism, originally in ref. to the mysticism of Molinas (1640-97), Sp. priest in Rome, whose "Guida spirituale" was published 1675 and condemned by the Inquisition in 1685. Quietude is from 1597.
vicar: c.1300, from O.Fr. vicaire, from L. vicarius "substitute, deputy," noun use of adj. vicarius "substituting," from vicis "change, turn, office" (see vicarious). The original notion is of "earthly representative of God or Christ;" but also used in sense of "person acting as parish priest in place of a real parson" (early 14c.). The original Vicar of Bray (in fig. use from 1660s) seems to have been Simon Allen, who held the benefice from c.1540 to 1588, thus serving from the time of Henry VIII to Elizabeth, and was twice a Catholic and twice a Protestant, but always vicar of Bray. The village is near Maidenhead in Berkshire.
clerk: O.E. clerc, from L.L. clericus "a priest," from Gk. klerikos (adj.) in church jargon "of the clergy," derived from kleros "lot, inheritance" (orig. "a shard used in casting lots"), used by early Gk. Christians for matters relating to ministry based on Deut. xviii:2 reference to Levites as temple assistants: "Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance," transl. of Heb. nahalah "inheritance, lot." If the word choice was meant to remind clerics of anything, however, the reminder was lost with the knowledge of ancient Gk. Or else from the use of the word in Acts i.17. Modern bureaucratic usage is from c.1500, a reminder of the dark ages when clergy alone could read and write.
parish: late 13c., from Anglo-Fr. paroche, parosse (late 11c.), from O.Fr. paroisse, from L.L. parochia "a diocese," alteration of Late Gk. paroikia "a diocese or parish," from paroikos "a sojourner" (in Christian writers), in classical Gk. "neighbor," from para- "near" + oikos "house" (see villa). Sense development unclear, perhaps from "sojourner" as epithet of early Christians as spiritual sojourners in the material world. In early Church writing the word was used in a more general sense than Gk. diokesis, though by 13c. they were synonymous. Replaced O.E. preostscyr, lit. "priest-shire."
hedge: O.E. hecg, originally any fence, living or artificial, from W.Gmc. *khagja (cf. M.Du. hegge, O.H.G. hegga, Ger. Hecke "hedge"), from PIE. *khagh- "to encompass, enclose" (cf. L. caulae "a sheepfold, enclosure," Gaul. caio "circumvallation," Welsh cae "fence, hedge"). Related to O.E. haga "enclosure, hedge" (see haw). Prefixed to any word, it "notes something mean, vile, of the lowest class" [Johnson], from contemptuous attributive sense of "plying one's trade under a hedge" (hedge-priest, hedge-lawyer, hedge-wench, etc.), a usage attested from c.1530. The verb sense of "dodge, evade" is first recorded 1598; that of "insure oneself against loss," as in a bet, is from 1672. Hedgehog is c.1450 (replacing O.E. igl), the second element an allusion to its pig-like snout. Hedgerow is O.E. heggeræw.
magic (n.): late 14c., "art of influencing events and producing marvels," from O.Fr. magique, from L. magice "sorcery, magic," from Gk. magike (presumably with tekhne "art"), fem. of magikos "magical," from magos "one of the members of the learned and priestly class," from O.Pers. magush, possibly from PIE *magh- "to be able, to have power" (see machine). Displaced O.E. wiccecræft (see witch); also drycræft, from dry "magician," from Ir. drui "priest, magician" (see druid). Transferred sense of "legerdemain, optical illusion, etc." is from 1811. Magic carpet first attested 1909. Magic Marker (1956) is a reg. trademark (U.S.) by Speedry Products, Inc., Richmond Hill, N.Y. Magic lantern "optical instrument whereby a magnified image is thrown upon a wall or screen" is 1690s, from Mod.L. laterna magica.
Beguine: late 15c., from Fr. béguine (13c.), M.L. beguina, a member of a women's spiritual order said to have been founded c.1180 in Liege in the Low Countries. They are said to take their name from the surname of Lambert le Bègue "Lambert the Stammerer," a Liege priest who was instrumental in their founding, and it's likely the word was pejorative at first. The order generally preserved its reputation, though it quickly drew imposters who did not; nonetheless it eventually was condemned as heretical. A male order, called Beghards founded communities by the 1220s in imitation of them, but they soon degenerated (cf. O.Fr. beguin "(male) Beguin," also "hypocrite") and wandered begging in the guise of religion; they likely were the source of the words beg and beggar, though there is disagreement over whether Beghard produced M.Du. beggaert "mendicant" or was produced by it. Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine" (1935) refers to a kind of popular dance, from French colloquial béguin "an infatuation, boyfriend, girlfriend," earlier "child's bonnet," and before that "nun's headdress" (14c.).
hag: early 13c., shortening of O.E. hægtesse "witch, fury" (on assumption that -tesse was a suffix), from P.Gmc. *hagatusjon-, of unknown origin. Similar shortening derived Du. heks, Ger. Hexe "witch" from cognate M.Du. haghetisse, O.H.G. hagzusa. First element is probably cognate with O.E. haga "enclosure" (see hedge). O.N. had tunriða and O.H.G. zunritha, both lit. "hedge-rider," used of witches and ghosts. Or second element may be connected with Norw. tysja "fairy, crippled woman," Gaul. dusius "demon," Lith. dvasia "spirit," from PIE *dhewes- "to fly about, smoke, be scattered, vanish." One of the magic words for which there is no male form, suggesting its original meaning was close to "diviner, soothsayer," which were always female in northern European paganism, and hægtesse seem at one time to have meant "woman of prophetic and oracular powers" (Ælfric uses it to render the Gk. "pythoness," the source of the Delphic oracle), a figure greatly feared and respected. Later, the word was used of village wise women. Haga is also the haw- in hawthorn, which is a central plant in northern European pagan religion. There may be several layers of folk-etymology here. If the hægtesse was once a powerful supernatural woman (in Norse it is an alternative word for Norn, any of the three weird sisters, the equivalent of the Fates), it may have originally carried the hawthorn sense. Later, when the pagan magic was reduced to local scatterings, it might have had the sense of "hedge-rider," or "she who straddles the hedge," because the hedge was the boundary between the "civilized" world of the village and the wild world beyond. The hægtesse would have a foot in each reality. Even later, when it meant the local healer and root collector, living in the open and moving from village to village, it may have had the mildly pejorative sense of hedge- in M.E. (hedge-priest, etc.), suggesting an itinerant sleeping under bushes, perhaps. The same word could have contained all three senses before being reduced to its modern one.