proselyte

1 of 2

noun

pros·​e·​lyte ˈprä-sə-ˌlīt How to pronounce proselyte (audio)
: a new convert (as to a faith or cause)

proselyte

2 of 2

verb

proselyted; proselyting

Examples of proselyte in a Sentence

Noun an adult proselyte who had only recently been baptized Verb she's been trying to proselyte everyone in the office ever since she joined that church
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The authors observe that Yemeni Jews share elevated IBD with other Jewish populations, suggesting more than an indigenous proselyte origin for this community. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 13 Aug. 2012 Seneca went on to become a proselyte for the Stoic path, extolling its benefits in a long run of prose essays while also serving—in some eyes, dishonorably—as an adviser to Nero. James Romm, WSJ, 17 Dec. 2021 Rashi concludes that the text, therefore, must refer to a ger, a proselyte, who has died leaving no next of kin among the Jewish People. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021 The law of gezel hager (stealing from a proselyte) reminds us that the Torah was given to all Jews – including converts. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021 In order to understand this idea, the special relationship between God and the proselyte must be examined. Rabbi Avi Weiss, sun-sentinel.com, 17 May 2021 Kitselman also became a proselyte for the history of Waterford, helping to create educational programming at the town’s Second Street School. Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2021 Christian Angermayer is an unlikely proselyte of psychedelia: The German financier didn’t drink so much as a sip of beer for the first three decades of his life. Meghana Keshavan, Scientific American, 9 July 2019 Enter proselytes in acetate eyeglasses and Rosie Pope workwear, drawn by listservs like Brooklynitos and Fort Greene Kids and BoCoCa Moms (BoCoCa being an acronym for three adjacent Brooklyn neighborhoods). Sonja Sharp, latimes.com, 27 June 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'proselyte.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English proselite, from Anglo-French prosilite, from Late Latin proselytus proselyte, alien resident, from Greek prosēlytos, from pros near + -ēlytos (akin to ēlythe he went) — more at pros-, elastic

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1624, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of proselyte was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near proselyte

Cite this Entry

“Proselyte.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/proselyte. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

proselyte

noun
pros·​e·​lyte
ˈpräs-ə-ˌlīt
: a new convert especially to a religion

More from Merriam-Webster on proselyte

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!