priestess
Sacred female officiant
A priestess is a female priest—a woman authorized to perform religious rites and ceremonies.
The term appears most often in reference to ancient or non-Christian religions: a priestess of Apollo, a voodoo priestess.
Some modern pagan and Wiccan traditions use priestess as an official title.
In contexts where priest applies to women, priestess may sound archaic or deliberately gendered.
Authoritative wisdom source
- seerOne who envisions futures
- sibylAncient female prophet
- pythiaHigh-energy physics simulator
- prophetessWoman who foretells events
divination · prophecy · clairvoyant · soothsayer · visions · channelling · medium · spiritualism
Ordained religious officials collectively
- ministerReligious leader or serve
- clericOrdained religious leader
- pastorChristian congregation leader
- vicarClergy substitute for bishop
chaplain · rector · curate · deacon · abbess · reverend · canon · votary
Sacred spiritual purity
- sanctityQuality of being inviolable
- divineOf or from gods
- consecrationDedicating to sacred purpose
- purityUncontaminated quality
devotion · reverence · veneration · piety · blessed · sacrament · incense · altar
oracle
Authoritative wisdom source
prophetess · divination · prophecy · clairvoyant · soothsayer · visions · channelling · medium · spiritualism · occult
clergy
Ordained religious officials collectively
vicar · chaplain · rector · curate · deacon · abbess · reverend · canon · votary · acolyte
holiness
Sacred spiritual purity
- sanctityQuality of being inviolable
- divineOf or from gods
- consecrationDedicating to sacred purpose
purity · devotion · reverence · veneration · piety · blessed · sacrament · incense · altar · shrine
goddess
Female sacred being
paganism · fertility · moon · ritual · incantation · invocation · offering · libation · mambo · vestal
woman
Adult female human
votaress · handmaiden · devotee · initiate · disciple · patroness · attendant · keeper · guardian · servant
- Greek sanctuariesDelphi, Olympia, sacred grove, oracle, votive offerings
- ritual officialsofficiant, celebrant, hierophant, abbot, abbess
- Egyptian priests
- Igbo traditionChi, ancestors, masquerades, ancestral spirits, spirit world
- WiccaBook of Shadows, coven, pentacle, Gerald Gardner, Samhain
- Greek mythologyZeus, Athena, Apollo, Hera, Poseidon
priestesspriest
One who performs sacraments
high priest · clergyman · monk · friar · abbot
priestesslayperson
Non-specialist or unordained person
congregant · parishioner · worshipper · layman · laywoman
- high priestessSenior female clergy leader
- high priestessesSenior female religious leaders
- voodoo priestessWoman leading spiritual ceremonies