presbyterian

American  

[prez-bi-teer-ee-uhn, pres-] / ˌprɛz bɪˈtɪər i ən, ˌprɛs- /

adjective

1. pertaining to or based on the principle of ecclesiastical government by presbyters or presbyteries.

2. (initial capital letter) designating or pertaining to various churches having this form of government and professing more or less modified forms of Calvinism.

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noun

1. (initial capital letter) a member of a Presbyterian church; a person who supports Presbyterianism.

Presbyterian ¹ British  

/ ˌprɛzbɪˈtɪərɪən /

adjective

1. of or relating to any of various Protestant Churches governed by presbyters or lay elders and adhering to various modified forms of Calvinism

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noun

1. a member of a Presbyterian Church

presbyterian ² British  

/ ˌprɛzbɪˈtɪərɪən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or designating Church government by presbyters or lay elders

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noun

1. an upholder of this type of Church government

Other Word Forms

• Presbyterianism noun
• non-Presbyterian adjective
• presbyterianism noun
• presbyterianistic adjective
• pro-Presbyterian adjective
• pseudo-Presbyterian adjective

Etymology

Origin of presbyterian

First recorded in 1635–45; presbytery + -an

Example Sentences

Instead she’s gone, and this weekend her family came with moist eyes and broken hearts to her funeral at the First Presbyterian Church in her hometown of Yorktown, N.Y.

From The Wall Street Journal

The two candidates were present for Saturday’s vote at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Koreatown, though neither spoke.

From Los Angeles Times

In the early 1700s, Daniel Defoe was an English Presbyterian on the wrong side of the law.

From The Wall Street Journal

As a Presbyterian, he was no longer marginalized but could identify with the Scottish national church.

From The Wall Street Journal

Mr. Talarico, a state representative, earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard and is working toward a divinity degree at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

From The Wall Street Journal