priestless

1 7.4

A community that has no religious leader

adjective
/ˈpriːstləs/

: sin sacerdote

priestless parish

Examples

So, priestless parishes have been around for centuries. There is a greater case that they are the norm.

Blog text (23)
Citing the growing number of priestless parishes worldwide, they make a compelling case for a different kind of church—an inclusive church, in which both men and women, whether married or not, heterosexual or homosexual, can participate at all levels.

Blog text (23)
Many communities are adapting to life in priestless parishes, focusing on lay leadership instead of traditional priestly roles.
In a priestless parish, local volunteers often organize services to ensure spiritual needs are met without a priest.
The rise of priestless congregations highlights the growing trend of non-clerical leadership in religious communities.

How Priestly

priestly

10 4.8

priestlike

1 7.5

priestless

1 7.4

lay

38 4.9

Surface Forms

priestless positive

Morphology

priestless = priest (transparent) = priest + less

The adjective is a regular formation from 'priest' + '-less', meaning 'without a priest', which is directly inferable by learners.

Etymology

The word priestless is made from priest, a religious leader, and the ending -less, which means 'without', like in hopeless. So priestless describes a community or tradition that lives or worships 'without' a priest or priestly control.