Definition of "presbyter" [pres•by•ter]

• A priest in various hierarchical churches. (noun)
• A teaching elder in the Presbyterian Church. (noun)
• A ruling elder in the Presbyterian Church. (noun)
• An elder of the congregation in the early Christian church. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term presbyter is undoubtedly an honorific title, while that of episcopus primarily indicates the function performed."
• "The term presbyter was of common use in the Jewish Church, as denoting the "rulers" of the synagogue (cf. Luke, xiii, 14)."
• "“Priest” comes from the Greek word presbyter, which means “elder.”"