Part 500

1. The act or art of presaging; a foreboding. [R.] Sir T. Browne.

2. That which is presaged, or foretold. [R.] "Ominous presagement before his end. " Sir H. Wotton.

Pre*sa"ger (?), n. One who, or that which, presages; a foreteller; a foreboder. Shak.

Pre*sa"gious (?), a. Foreboding; ominous. [Obs.]

Pres"by*ope (?), n. (Med.) One who has presbyopia; a farsighted person.

||Pres`by*o"pi*a (?) [NL., from Gr. &?; old, n., an old man + &?;, &?;, ||the eye.] (Med.) A defect of vision consequent upon advancing age. It ||is due to rigidity of the crystalline lens, which produces difficulty ||of accommodation and recession of the near point of vision, so that ||objects very near the eyes can not be seen distinctly without the use ||of convex glasses. Called also presbytia.

Pres`by*op"ic (?), a. Affected by presbyopia; also, remedying presbyopia; farsighted.

Pres"by*o`py (?), n. [Cf. F. presbyopie.] See Presbyopia.

Pres"byte (?), n. [Gr. &?; an old man.] Same as Presbyope.

Pres"by*ter (?), n. [L. an elder, fr. Gr. &?;. See Priest.]

1. An elder in the early Christian church. See 2d Citation under Bishop, n., 1.

2. (Ch. of Eng. & Prot. Epis. Ch.) One ordained to the second order in the ministry; -- called also priest.

I rather term the one sort presbyter than priest.

Hooker.

New presbyter is but old priest writ large.

Milton.

3. (Presbyterian Ch.) A member of a presbytery whether lay or clerical.

4. A Presbyterian. [Obs.] Hudibras.

Pres*byt"er*al (?), a. Of or pertaining to a presbyter or presbytery; presbyterial.

Pres*byt"er*ate (?), n. [L. presbyteratus: cf. F. presbytÈrat.] A presbytery; also, presbytership. Heber.

Pres"by*ter*ess, n. A female presbyter. Bale.

Pres`by*te"ri*al (?), a. [Cf. F. presbytÈral.] Presbyterian. "Presbyterial government." Milton.

Pres`by*te"ri*an (?), a. [Cf. F. presbytÈrien.] Of or pertaining to a presbyter, or to ecclesiastical government by presbyters; relating to those who uphold church government by presbyters; also, to the doctrine, discipline, and worship of a communion so governed.

Pres`by*te"ri*an, n. [Cf. F. presbytÈrien.] One who maintains the validity of ordination and government by presbyters; a member of the Presbyterian church.

Reformed Presbyterians. See Cameronian.

Pres`by*te"ri*an*ism (?), n. [Cf. F. presbytÈrianisme.] That form of church government which invests presbyters with all spiritual power, and admits no prelates over them; also, the faith and polity of the Presbyterian churches, taken collectively.

||Pres`by*te"ri*um (?), n. [L.] (Arch.) Same as Presbytery, 4.

Pres"by*ter*ship (?), n. The office or station of a presbyter; presbyterate.