Pharisee

From Latin Pharisaeus, from Ancient Greek Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos), a transliteration of Aramaic פְּרִישַׁיָּא (pərîšayyâ’), emphatic plural of פְּרִישׁ (pərîš, “separatist”, literally “separated”), related to Hebrew פרוש (parush), qal passive participle of the verb פָּרַשׁ (pāraš), meaning one who is separated for a life of purity.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛɹɪsiː/

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• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfɛɹɪsi/
• Rhymes: -ɛəɹɪsi

Pharisee (plural Pharisees)

1. (historical) A member of an ancient Jewish political party, a social movement, and a school of thought among Jews that flourished during the Second Temple Era (536 B.C.E.–70 C.E.). The movement was ultimately the basis for most contemporary forms of Judaism.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC:

     Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

2. (figuratively, by extension; derogatory) A person who values the letter of the law over its spirit or intention.
   • 1847 December, Ellis Bell [pseudonym; Emily Brontë], “chapter III”, in Wuthering Heights: […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Thomas Cautley Newby, […], →OCLC:

     He was, and is yet most likely, the wearisomest self-righteous Pharisee that ever ransacked a Bible to rake the promises to himself and fling the curses to his neighbours.

   • c. 1870, Charles Spurgeon, Morning and Evening:

     The spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even the more judicious cannot always escape.

• Sadducee
• Essene

• pharisaic
• pharisaical
• pharisaically
• pharisaicalness
• pharisaism, Pharisaism
• Phariseeism
• Pharisee-like

• Klein, Ernest (1987) “פָּרוּשׁ”, in A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language for Readers of English‎, Jerusalem: Carta, →ISBN, page 526b

• Hesperia