Dictionary
Find
in
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Translations

Click to move up the list of words
espouse
espressivo
espresso
espresso breve
espresso corretto
espresso crème
esprit
esprit de corps
espy
Esq.
-esque
Esquimalt
Esquire
esquire
ESR
ESRC
-ess
Click to move down the list of words
Also available:

World English Dictionary
Dictionnaire Français

Essene

Es·sene [ ə sn, é seen ] (plural Es·senes)


noun 
Definition:
 
ancient Jewish ascetic: a member of an ascetic Jewish group that flourished in Palestine and Syria from the 2nd century bc to the 2nd century ad. Its members, consisting only of men, shared property, practiced celibacy, and observed the Sabbath.

[15th century. < Latin Esseni< Greek Essēnoi]
Advertisement

© 2009 Microsoft