WordWeight : Weighing the Words

Pronunciation : Priest"craft`
Part of Speech : n.
Definition : Defn: Priestly policy; the policy of a priesthood; esp., in an ill sense, fraud or imposition in religious concerns; management by priests to gain wealth and power by working upon the religious motives or credulity of others. It is better that men should be governed by priestcraft than by violence. Macaulay.
Source : Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913