prete

priest

noun PREH-teh Rare

Origin: From Latin presbyter (elder), via Old Italian.

Usage Note

Prete refers to a Catholic parish priest; the more formal term is sacerdote. Catholicism has no female priests, so the word is effectively masculine only (il prete). Do not confuse with parroco (the priest in charge of a specific parish) or padre (the form of address used for friars and members of religious orders).

Examples

"Il prete celebra la messa ogni mattina."

Natural Translation

The priest celebrates Mass every morning.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Days & Months in Italian: A Beginner's Guide

Days of the week in Italian are lowercase, all masculine except la domenica, and il lunedì means every Monday. Learn the days, months, dates, and seasons.

June 5, 2026 4 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Restaurant Etiquette: Mistakes to Avoid

Skip the cappuccino after dinner, never put parmesan on fish, and learn the exact Italian phrases to order gracefully and avoid looking like a tourist.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Diminutives: -ino, -etto, -one Explained

Italian diminutives like -ino, -etto, and -one signal size, affection, or contempt. Learn to read the feeling, dodge gender flips, and spot false diminutives.

June 9, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Essere vs Avere: Italian Past Tense Made Simple

In the passato prossimo, use avere for most verbs and essere for movement, change, and reflexives — plus the agreement trap English speakers always miss.

June 5, 2026 5 min read