minister

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English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister (“an attendant, servant, assistant, a priest's assistant or other under official”), from minor (“less”) + -ter; see minor.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister (plural ministers)

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  1. A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.
    The minister said a prayer on behalf of the entire congregation.
  2. A politician who heads a ministry (national or regional government department for public service).
    He was newly appointed to be Minister of the Interior.
    • Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
      Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.
  3. At a diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
  4. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
    • Bible, Exodus xxiv. 13
      Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua.
    • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
      I chose / Camillo for the minister, to poison / My friend Polixenes.

Usage notes[edit]

Not to be confused with minster.

Hypernyms[edit]

  • (Chief minister in areas of Central Europe and Scandinavia): provost

Related terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations.
Translations to be checked

Verb[edit]

minister (third-person singular simple present ministers, present participle ministering, simple past and past participle ministered)

  1. (transitive) To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.
    A newspaper headline: Couple leaves business world to minister to inner-city children
  2. to function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship
  3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
    • Bible, 2 Corinthians ix. 10
      He that ministereth seed to the sower.
    • Jeremy Taylor
      We minister to God reason to suspect us.
    • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 2 scene 1
      I do well believe your highness; and did it to / minister occasion to these gentlemen [...] (to give opportunity to these gentlemen)

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Noun[edit]

minister c (definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministre, definite plural ministrene)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

  1. A minister, a person who is commissioned by the government for public service.

Inari Sami[edit]

Etymology[edit]

EB1911 - Volume 01 - Page 001 - 1.svg This entry lacks etymological information. If you are familiar with the origin of this term, please add it to the page per etymology instructions. You can also discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.

Noun[edit]

minister

  1. minister (politician)

Inflection[edit]

Odd inflection[1]
singular plural
Nominative minister ministereh
Accusative minister ministerijd
Genitive minister ministerij
Illative ministerân ministeráid
Locative ministerist ministerijn
Comitative ministeráin ministerijguin
Abessive ministerttáá ministerijttáá
Essive ministerin —
Partitive ministerid —

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ minister in Giellatekno Inari Sami paradigm generator

Ladin[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister m (plural ministeres)

  1. minister
  2. ministry

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From minus + comparative suffix *-tero-. Compare magister.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister m (genitive ministrī); second declension

  1. attendant, servant, waiter
  2. agent, aide
  3. accomplice

Inflection[edit]

Second declension, nominative singular in -er.

Case Singular Plural
nominative minister ministrī
genitive ministrī ministrōrum
dative ministrō ministrīs
accusative ministrum ministrōs
ablative ministrō ministrīs
vocative minister1 ministrī

1May also be ministre.

Coordinate terms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Bokmål[edit]

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia no

Noun[edit]

minister m (definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministere or ministre or ministrer, definite plural ministerne or ministrene)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk[edit]

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nn

Noun[edit]

minister m (definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministrar, definite plural ministrane)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From French ministère.

Noun[edit]

minister n (plural ministere)

  1. ministry

Related terms[edit]

Swedish[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister c

  1. a minister (member of government, cabinet)
  2. a minister (in the foreign affairs administration)

Declension[edit]

Declension of minister 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative minister ministern ministrar ministrarna
Genitive ministers ministerns ministrars ministrarnas

Derived terms[edit]

Terms derived from minister
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