high priest
3
7.2
- noun
- /haɪ priːst/
:
máximo exponente
- He’d expected to meet the director alone, one on one, not a slew of scientific high priests and bureaucratic curia.
And, and these high priests have all the answers about your health.
- And, and these high priests have all the answers about your health.
Examples
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So journalists have to let go of the notion that they are the high priests of reporting and truth.
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Perhaps it's time for a new high priest.
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He was the high priest of this movement that provided all the answers as far as he was concerned.
Academic text (2011) -
The disciples of the policies of division then become the high priests and priestesses of the new order.
Blog text (12) -
And Whitman, the high priest of selfhood, celebrates a self that "contains multitudes" in all their variability.
Academic text (1990) -
Rush Limbaugh is often recognized as America's high priest of conservative causes, influencing many with his views.
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In the world of economics, figures like Alan Greenspan are seen as the high priests of deregulation and free-market policies.
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The leading author of the movement is regarded as the high priest of contemporary literature, shaping the current trends.
Synonyms
7
6.0
A person who strongly supports and helps spread a new idea or cause early on
Surface Forms
Morphology
high + priest
Literally, 'high priest' combines 'high' (of superior rank) and 'priest' to mean a senior or chief priest, so the basic compositional sense is clear. However, the non-religious use meaning 'leading authority or foremost advocate' is a metaphorical extension of the literal sense; this mapping is somewhat predictable but not fully transparent to a B1 learner without exposure, so it is only partially transparent.
Etymology
High priest is also used to compare someone to a chief religious leader: calling a person the high priest of a style or idea says they are the top expert and guide for that idea. So it means 'leading authority' in a field.