- clergy
- In olden times, a word for a clerk or educated man; in modern times, the pastors or priests of churches and the persons above them in the organization or hierarchy of the church,
Ballentine's law dictionary. Anderson, W.S.. 1998.
clergy
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Clergy — Cler gy, n. [OE. clergie, clergi, clerge, OF. clergie, F. clergie (fr. clerc clerc, fr. L. clericus priest) confused with OF. clergi[ e], F. clerg[ e], fr. LL. clericatus office of priest, monastic life, fr. L. clericus priest, LL. scholar, clerc … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
clergy — n. Religious professionals; those ordained for the ministry. The Essential Law Dictionary. Sphinx Publishing, An imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. Amy Hackney Blackwell. 2008 … Law dictionary
clergy — c.1200, clergie office or dignity of a clergyman, from two Old French words: 1. clergié clerics, learned men, from M.L. clericatus, from L.L. clericus (see CLERK (Cf. clerk)); 2. clergie learning, knowledge, erudition, from clerc, also from L.L.… … Etymology dictionary
clergy — [n] ministry of church canonicate, canonry, cardinalate, churchpersons, clerics, conclave, deaconry, diaconate, ecclesiastics, first estate, holy order, pastorate, prelacy, priesthood, rabbinate, the cloth, the desk, the pulpit; concept 369 … New thesaurus
clergy — ► NOUN (pl. clergies) (usu. treated as pl. ) ▪ the body of people ordained for religious duties in the Christian Church. ORIGIN Latin clericus cleric, clergyman … English terms dictionary
clergy — [klʉr′jē] n. pl. clergies [ME clergie, office or dignity of a clergyman < OFr < LL(Ec) clericus: see CLERK] persons ordained for religious service; ministers, priests, rabbis, etc., collectively … English World dictionary
Clergy — (left to right) George Carey, Archbishop of Canterbury (1991–2002), Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi (UK), Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti of Bosnia, Jim Wallis, Sojourners, USA. 2009 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Cleric redirects here. For… … Wikipedia
clergy — clergylike, adj. /klerr jee/, n., pl. clergies. the group or body of ordained persons in a religion, as distinguished from the laity. [1175 1225; ME clerge, clergie < OF clergé ( < LL clericatus office of a priest; see CLERIC, ATE3), clergie,… … Universalium
clergy — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) Religious personnel Nouns 1. (body of clergy) clergy, ministry, priesthood, rabbinate, abbacy, ulema, imamate; the cloth, Roman collar. See religion, worship. 2. (member of the clergy) clergyman or woman … English dictionary for students
Clergy — (Roget s Thesaurus) < N PARAG:Clergy >N GRP: N 1 Sgm: N 1 clergy clergy clericals ministry priesthood presbytery the cloth the desk GRP: N 2 Sgm: N 2 clergyman clergyman divine ecclesiastic church … English dictionary for students
clergy */*/ — UK [ˈklɜː(r)dʒɪ] / US [ˈklɜrdʒɪ] noun [plural] Word forms clergy : singular clergy plural clergies the people who lead religious services, especially Christian priests. A man who leads religious services is sometimes called a clergyman and a… … English dictionary
