A woman who has been given the power, usually through a ritual, to officially perform religious rites. Thus, a woman who facilitates a ritual such as a Wiccan ritual. In some Pagan traditions, all women initiates are considered priestesses.
Readers, please enjoy this guest blog post by Sandra Kynes, author of several books, including The Herb Gardener's Essential Guide, Plant Magic, and the new Witches' Encyclopedia of Magical Plants, among many others.
Although a few old books...