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Pharisee, pharisee (s) (FAIR i see) (noun) Pharisees, pharisees
1. A member of an ancient Jewish religious group that had a particularly strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic law in both its oral and written forms: As a member of the exclusive Jewish group, some Pharisees had more regard for the organization's tradition and ceremonies, which led its members to believe that they had a superior sanctity, or holiness, resulting in their separation from the other Jews.

Some Pharisees were legalistic and socially exclusive because they considered non-Pharisees to be spiritually unclean.

At least part of the time, Pharisees were admired by the common people because they functioned as social and political forces against foreign and hellenized Jewish leaders who were sympathetic to the Greek language and culture.

—Compiled from information located in
Harpers' Bible Dictionary; Harper & Row, Publishers;
San Francisco, California; 1985; page 783.
2. A lower case "p" indicates a sanctimonious hypocrite who is narrow minded and self-righteous: A pharisee is now considered to be anyone who values the letter of the law more than the spirit or intention of the law.
3. Etymology: from the Hebrew word perusim, "the separate ones" which is based on the verb perash, "to separate" or "to set apart"; which became pharisaios in Greek, and was applied to any self-righteous person.
This entry is located in the following unit: pharis-, pharisa- (page 1)