hieromonk

Etymology

From Byzantine Greek ἱερομόναχος (hieromónakhos), from Ancient Greek ἱερός (hierós) + μοναχός (monakhós).

Why this word is great

HIEROMONK — [Noun] A monk of the Eastern Church who is also a priest. From Byzantine Greek ἱερομόναχος (hieromónakhos), from Ancient Greek ἱερός (hierós, "sacred") + μοναχός (monakhós, "monk"). Unlike a "monk" (who may dwell in silence, unburdened by sacramental duties) or a "priest" (who moves freely in the world, untethered to cloistered vows), the hieromonk is a bridge between solitude and service. He is the candle flickering in the predawn gloom of a mountain monastery, the hands lifting both bread and breviary, the voice that chants the liturgy and then retreats into the hush of his cell—a man split between heaven’s call and earth’s obligations, bearing the weight of both.

noun

A monk of the Eastern Church who is also a priest.“A peculiar and important rank in the Armenian hierarchy, conferred by a sort of ordination rite, is that of vartapet. He is a hieromonk or widowed priest of superior learning and ability, especially authorized to preach and teach.”