0 present participle of defrock
1 to dismiss a priest (= remove him from his job), usually because of bad behaviour
When he started sifting through the priests and defrocking those unfit for preaching, many parishes were left without priests.
After the gesture of defiance, the court recommended his defrocking, its decision being soon after confirmed by the synod.
He gave up his religious studies to study law and get married, but never actually became a priest, so there was no defrocking.
Violations of this ban are punishable by immediate public defrocking, and often by criminal penalties.
