Essene

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Essene \Es*sene"\, n.; pl. {Essenes}. [Gr. ?, lit., physicians,
     because they practiced medicine, fr. Chald [=a]say[=a] to
     heal, cf. Heb. as[=a].]
     One of a sect among the Jews in the time of our Savior,
     remarkable for their strictness and abstinence.
     [1913 Webster]



From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  Essene
       adj : said of or relating to the Essenes
       n : a member of an ascetic Jewish sect around the time of Jesus