كَاهِن
kāhinmasculine
The Arabic word for priest is كَاهِن (kāhin). Wiktionary also lists قِسِّيس (qissīs) and قِسّ (qiss).
Meaning: clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) (noun)
Ways to say it
| Arabic | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| كَاهِن | kāhin | masculine |
| قِسِّيس | qissīs | masculine |
| قِسّ | qiss | masculine |
| قَسّ | qass | masculine |
| خُورِيّ | ḵūriyy | masculine |
While كَاهِن can mean priest, it is often used to refer to a pagan priest or a fortune-teller/soothsayer. For a Christian priest, the standard term is قِسِّيس. To specifically say "church priest", you can use قس الكنيسة.
Which one should you use?
كَاهِن is a general term often associated with paganism or divination. The term خُورِيّ is used in certain liturgical traditions, such as the Eastern Catholic or Orthodox churches and often denotes a specific rank like an archpriest or dean.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Levantine Arabic, specifically in Syria and Lebanon, the term خُورِيّ is used to refer to a priest.
How does it change in a sentence?
All provided forms are masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
kāhin
Did you know?
- The term خُورِيّ is a linguistic loan from the Greek word 'choreutes', which refers to a member of a choir or a leader in the church.
- Because كَاهِن can imply someone who practices magic, it is almost never used by modern Muslims to describe a religious leader.
- In some contexts, the term كَاهِن is used in the Quran to refer to the soothsayers of pre-Islamic Arabia rather than religious leaders in a modern sense.
Examples in context
- في الكنيسة القبطية، يؤدي القس مراسم القداس الإلهي.In the Coptic Church, the priest performs the divine liturgy.
- أبونا طوني من أكفأ الآباء الروحيين في الرعية.Father Tony is one of the most competent spiritual fathers in the parish.
- هذا كَاهِنٌ مُحْتَرَمٌ.hadha kahinun muhtaram.This is a respected priest.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “priest” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
