defrock
/diˈfɹɑk/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.38 in modern English
17
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To formally remove the rights and authority of someone, e.g. a government official or a medical practitioner.
Example Sentences
- "The defrocked priest may no longer perform rites."
- "The Vatican has defrocked the anti-abortion US priest Frank Pavone for what it said were “blasphemous communications on social media” as well as “persistent disobedience” of his bishop."
- "There are refugees and black marketers, defrocked bankers and resistance fighters, gamblers, floozies, French colonial policemen, American and Spanish entertainers, and, eventually, Nazi officers (who in reality never set foot in Casablanca)."
Etymology
From French défroquer, from dé- + froc. By surface analysis, de- + frock.
Origin
- Source language: French
Word Breakdown
- Root: défroquer
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /diˈfɹɑk/
- British English: /diːˈfɹɒk/