proselyte

views updated May 23 2018

pros·e·lyte / ˈpräsəˌlīt/ • n. a person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another, esp. recently. ∎  a Gentile who has converted to Judaism.• v. another term for proselytize.DERIVATIVES: pros·e·lyt·ism / -ləˌtizəm/ n.

proselyte

views updated May 18 2018

proselyte XIV. — ChrL. prosḗlytus — Gr. prosḗluthos stranger, sojourner (LXX), convert to Judaism (N.T.), f. 2nd aorist stem (prosēluth-) of prosérkhesthai come to, approach.
Hence proselytize XVII.

proselyte

views updated May 21 2018

proselyte a person who has converted from one opinion, religion, or party to another, especially recently. Recorded from late Middle English, the word comes via late Latin from Greek prosēluthos ‘stranger’.