minister
English meaning: Minister
Definition
A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.
Example
“The minister said a prayer on behalf of the entire congregation.”
Another example: “The minister delivered a moving sermon to the congregation on Sunday.”
Usage — When, Where & How
A noun with two main senses: a senior member of government heading a department ('Foreign Minister', 'Prime Minister'), and a Christian clergyman, especially Protestant. The political sense is more common in news; both are formal.
Etymology & Origin
English — Origin & History
From Latin 'minister' ('servant, attendant'), related to 'minus' ('less'), entering English via Old French in the 13th century.
Synonyms
- rector
- pastor
- parson
- curate
- government minister
- diplomatic minister
Related Words
Common Collocations
- prime minister
- foreign minister
- cabinet minister
- minister of finance
- government minister
- ordained minister
Word Forms
minister (n); ministers (pl); minister (v); ministry (n); ministerial (adj)
Word Tools
Literary Heritage
“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
/To thine own self be true/
“Be honest with yourself — and as naturally as night follows day, you will be unable to be false to others.”
“I'm nobody! Who are you? Are you nobody, too?”
/I'm nobody! Who are you?/
“I am nobody — and that quiet anonymity is more honest than the noise of public fame.”
Images
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Language information
- Language
- English
- English
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Indo-European
- Speakers
- 1.5B