prests

Prests is an archaic English noun meaning priest. In modern English, the standard form is priest, while prest appears primarily in historical texts and dialect writings as a spelling variant or archaism. The term can appear in both singular and plural contexts in older manuscripts, but in contemporary usage it is encountered mainly by scholars and in philological work rather than in everyday writing.

Etymology of prest traces from Old English preost, which means priest. This, in turn, derives from Latin presbyter through Old French prestre. Throughout the medieval and early modern periods English spelling varied widely, with prest and related forms used alongside preost and preist. The eventual standardization settled on priest and priests, with prest remaining as a historical or literary echo of earlier forms.

Usage and context: Today, prest is largely confined to discussions of historical language, glossaries, and the study of medieval or early modern texts. It may appear in quotations, translations, or annotations that aim to reproduce the spelling conventions of the period being referenced. Outside of scholarship, prest is not typically used to denote clergy in contemporary English.

See also: priest, presbyter, clergy, historical linguistics.