proselyte
UK /ˈpɹɒsəlaɪt/ · US /ˈpɹɑsəˌlaɪt/ noun, verb
Forms proselytes proselyting proselyted
- noun One who has converted to a religion or doctrine, especially a gentile converted to Judaism.
- verb (transitive) To proselytize.
Etymology
From Old French proselite, from Late Latin proselytus (“proselyte, alien resident”), from Ancient Greek προσήλυτος (prosḗlutos, “newcomer, convert”) (from πρός (prós, “to, towards”) and the stem -ηλυ- of ἐλήλυθα (elḗlutha), perfect of ἔρχομαι (érkhomai, “come”)), translation of Hebrew גר (ger) in the Septuagint translation of the Torah (e.g., Exodus 12:49); also used in Matthew 23:15, Acts 2:10, Acts 6:5.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A new convert especially a convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan converted to Christianity, is a proselyte.
- verb To convert to some religion, opinion, or system; to bring over.
Etymology [OE. proselite, OF. proselite, F. proselytus, Gr. Defn: A new convert especially a convert to some religion or religious sect, or to some particular opinion, system, or party; thus, a Gentile converted to Judaism, or a pagan converted to Christianity, is a proselyte. Ye [Scribes and Pharisees]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “proselyte”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details