minister

See also: Minister

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/, /ˈmɪn.ɪ-/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ɪs.tə/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (UK)

  (file)

Etymology 1

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. Doublet of Minorite.

Noun

minister (plural ministers)

2. 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.

3. A politician who heads a ministry (national or regional government department for public service).

   He was newly appointed to be Minister of the Interior.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:government minister

   • 1661 (first printed), Francis Bacon, A Letter of Advice to the Duke of Buckingham:

     Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.

4. In diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
5. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 287, column 2:

      […], I choſe / Camillo for the miniſter, to poyſon / My friend Polixenes: […]

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 24:13, column 1:

     And Moſes roſe vp, and his miniſter Ioſhua: and Moſes went vp into the mount of God.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with minster.

Hypernyms

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

Derived terms

• cabinet minister
• chief minister
• culture minister
• first minister
• foreign minister
• interior minister
• junior minister
• minister of justice
• minister of state
• minister-president
• minister without portfolio
• ministress
• prime minister
• shadow minister
• stickit minister

 

Related terms

• ministerial
• ministerium
• ministrix
• ministry

Descendants

• Pijin: minista
• → Hausa: ministà

Translations

person who is trained to perform religious ceremonies at a Protestant church

• Afrikaans: predikant (af), dominee (af)
• Arabic: قِسِّيس‎ (ar) m (qissīs), دَاعِيَة‎ (ar) (dāʕiya)
• Belarusian: свяшчэ́ннiк m (svjaščénnik)
• Bulgarian: свеще́ник (bg) m (svešténik)
• Burmese: ဘုန်းကြီး (my) (bhun:kri:)
• Catalan: ministre de l'església m
• Cherokee: ᎠᎵᏣᏙᎲᏍᎩ (alitsadohvsgi)
• Chichewa: mbusa
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 牧師／牧师 (zh) (mùshī)

• Danish: præst (da) c, pastor c
• Dutch: dominee (nl) m
• Erzya: туростор (turostor)
• Esperanto: pastro
• Finnish: pappi (fi)
• French: pasteur (fr)
• Galician: ministro m
• Greek: πάστορας (el) m (pástoras)
• Hebrew: כֹּמֶר / כומר‎ (he) m (komer)
• Hungarian: lelkész (hu), lelkipásztor (hu)
• Icelandic: prestur (is) m
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: qeşe (ku) m or f

• Lao: ນິຄົນ (ni khon)
• Maori: minita
• Navajo: ééʼ neishoodii
• Pijin: minista
• Plautdietsch: Prädja m
• Polish: pastor (pl) m
• Portuguese: pastor (pt) m
• Romanian: pastor (ro) m
• Russian: свяще́нник (ru) m (svjaščénnik)
• Scottish Gaelic: ministear m
• Sotho: moruti
• Spanish: ministro (es)
• Tagalog: kataluna, ministro (tl)
• Tok Pisin: minista
• Turkmen: ruhany
• Ukrainian: свяще́ник m (svjaščényk)
• Uzbek: ruhoniy (uz)
• Welsh: gweinidog (cy) m

politician who heads a ministry

• Afrikaans: minister (af)
• Albanian: ministër (sq) m, ministre (sq) f
• Arabic: وَزِير‎ m (wazīr), وَزِيرَة‎ f (wazīra)

  Egyptian Arabic: وزير‎ (wazīr)

• Armenian: նախարար (hy) (naxarar)
• Assamese: মন্ত্ৰী (montri), উজীৰ (uzir), মিনিষ্টাৰ (ministar)
• Azerbaijani: nazir (az), vəzir
• Bashkir: министр (ministr)
• Basque: ministro
• Belarusian: міні́стр m (minístr), міні́стар m (minístar) (Taraškievica), міні́стрка f (minístrka), міні́старка f (minístarka)
• Bengali: মন্ত্রী (montri), উজির (bn) (ujir)
• Bole: minista
• Bulgarian: мини́стър (bg) m (minístǎr), мини́стърка f (minístǎrka)
• Burmese: ဝန်ကြီး (my) (wankri:)
• Catalan: ministre (ca) m
• Chichewa: nduna
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大臣 (zh) (dàchén), 部長／部长 (zh) (bùzhǎng)

• Crimean Tatar: nazir
• Czech: ministr (cs) m, ministryně (cs) f
• Danish: minister (da) c
• Dhivehi: ވަޒީރު‎ (vazīru)
• Dutch: minister (nl) m or f
• Erzya: туростор (turostor)
• Esperanto: ministro (eo)
• Estonian: minister (et)
• Finnish: ministeri (fi)
• French: ministre (fr) m or f
• Galician: ministro m
• Georgian: მინისტრი (minisṭri)
• German: Minister (de) m, (female) Ministerin (de) f
• Greek: υπουργός (el) m or f (ypourgós)

  Ancient: ὑπουργός m (hupourgós)

• Gujarati: મંત્રી m (mantrī)
• Hausa: minista (ha)
• Hebrew: שַׂר‎ (he) m (sar), שָׂרָה‎ (he) f (sará)
• Hindi: वज़ीर m (vazīr), मंत्री (hi) m (mantrī)
• Hungarian: miniszter (hu)
• Iban: menteri
• Icelandic: ráðherra m
• Indonesian: menteri (id)
• Japanese: 大臣 (ja) (だいじん, daijin), 長官 (ja) (ちょうかん, chōkan)
• Javanese: mantri (jv)
• Kannada: ಮಂತ್ರಿ (kn) (mantri)
• Kazakh: министр (kk) (ministr), уәзір (uäzır)
• Khmer: រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី (km) (rŏət mŭəntrəy), មន្ត្រី (km) (mŭəntrəy)
• Korean: 대신(大臣) (ko) (daesin), 장관(長官) (ko) (janggwan)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: wezîr (ku) m or f, şalyar (ku) m or f

• Kyrgyz: министр (ky) (ministr), вазир (ky) (vazir)
• Ladino: bakan (lad), agá, vezir
• Lao: ລັດຖະມົນຕີ (lat tha mon tī)
• Latvian: ministrs m, ministre f
• Lithuanian: ministras (lt) m, ministrė f
• Macedonian: министер m (minister), министерка f (ministerka)
• Malay: menteri (ms)
• Malayalam: മന്ത്രി (ml) (mantri)
• Maori: minita
• Marathi: मंत्री (mr) (mantrī)
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: сайд (mn) (sajd)

  Mongolian: ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠳ (sayid)

• Nepali: मन्त्री (ne) (mantrī)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: minister (no) m

  Nynorsk: minister m

• Occitan: ministre (oc) m
• Old English: þeġen
• Oriya: ମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ (or) (môntri)
• Pashto: وزير‎ (ps) m (wazīr)
• Persian: وَزیر‎ (fa) (vazir)
• Polish: minister (pl) m or f
• Portuguese: ministro (pt)
• Romanian: ministru (ro) m, ministră f
• Russian: мини́стр (ru) m (minístr) (male or female)
• Sanskrit: मन्त्रि (sa) m (mantri), मन्त्रिन् (sa) (mantrin)
• Scottish Gaelic: ministear m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: мѝнистар m, мѝнистрица f, мѝниста̄рка f

  Roman: mìnistar (sh) m, mìnistrica (sh) f, mìnistārka (sh) f

• Slovak: minister m, ministryňa f
• Slovene: minister (sl) m, ministrica f
• Sotho: tona (st)
• Spanish: ministro (es) m
• Swahili: waziri (sw)
• Swedish: minister (sv) c
• Tajik: вазир (vazir)
• Tamil: அமைச்சர் (ta) (amaiccar), மந்திரி (ta) (mantiri) (dated)
• Tatar: министр (ministr), вәзир (tt) (wäzir)
• Telugu: మంత్రి (te) (mantri)
• Thai: รัฐมนตรี (th) (rát-tà-mon-dtrii)
• Tibetan: བློན་པོ (blon po)
• Tocharian B: āmaś
• Turkish: bakan (tr), vezir (tr)
• Turkmen: ministr, wezir
• Ukrainian: міні́стр m (minístr), міні́стрка f (minístrka)
• Urdu: وَزِیر‎ (ur) m (vazīr)
• Uyghur: ۋەزىر‎ (wezir)
• Uzbek: vazir (uz), ministr (uz)
• Vietnamese: bộ trưởng (vi)
• Welsh: gweinidog (cy) m
• Yiddish: מיניסטער‎ m (minister)
• Zazaki: wezır, weyner

someone who serves others

• Afrikaans: dienaar
• Dutch: dienaar (nl)
• Finnish: palvelija (fi)
• Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts)
• Russian: исполни́тель (ru) m (ispolnítelʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua: ^{(please verify)} ministro (ia)

See also

• cleric
• father
• parson
• pastor
• priest
• vicar

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English mynystren, from Middle French ministrer, from Old French menistrer, ministrer and Latin ministrō, from minister.

Verb

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.
2. to function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship
3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 7, column 2:

     I do vvell beleeue your Highneſſe, and did it to miniſter occaſion to theſe Gentlemen, […]

     (to give opportunity to these gentlemen)

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 9:10, column 2:

     ( […] Now he that miniſtreth ſeede to the ſower, both miniſter bread for your foode, and multiply your ſeede ſowen, and encreaſe the fruites of your righteouſneſſe)

   • 1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC:

     We minister to God reason to suspect us.

Translations

to attend to; to tend

• Bulgarian: служа (bg) (služa)
• German: sich kümmern (de), sorgen (de)
• Russian: служи́ть (ru) n (služítʹ), помога́ть (ru) n (pomogátʹ)
• Spanish: ministrar (es)

Further reading

• “minister”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “minister”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Tenriism, Terminis, interims, ministre, smirnite

Danish

Etymology

From Latin minister.

Noun

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

1. a minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Descendants

• → Greenlandic: ministeri

Further reading

• “minister” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /miˈnɪstər/

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French ministre. Used in political contexts since the 16th century.

Noun

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

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

Etymology 2

From Latin minister. Used in this sense since at least 1269.

Noun

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

1. (religion) A servant of a monastery, or assistent of a priest.

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: minister
• → Saramaccan: minísíti

References

• "minister" at etymologiebank.nl
• Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal door M. de Vries & L.A. te Winkel. 43 banden. 's-Gravenhage, Nijhoff, 1864-2001

Estonian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /minˈister/

Noun

minister (genitive ministri, partitive ministrit)

1. minister

Declension

Inflection of minister (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)

	singular	plural
nominative	minister	ministrid
accusative	ministri	ministrid
genitive	ministri	ministrite
partitive	ministrit	ministreid
illative	ministrisse	ministritesse ministreisse
inessive	ministris	ministrites ministreis
elative	ministrist	ministritest ministreist
allative	ministrile	ministritele ministreile
adessive	ministril	ministritel ministreil
ablative	ministrilt	ministritelt ministreilt
translative	ministriks	ministriteks ministreiks
terminative	ministrini	ministriteni
essive	ministrina	ministritena
abessive	ministrita	ministriteta
comitative	ministriga	ministritega

Derived terms

• justiitsminister
• kaitseminister
• keskkonnaminister
• peaminister
• tervishoiuminister
• välisminister

 

Further reading

• minister in Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat
• minister in Raadik, M., editor (2018), Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018, Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus, →ISBN
• minister in Sõnaveeb

Inari Sami

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

minister

1. minister (politician)

Inflection

Odd inflection
	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

• ruttâminister

Ladin

Noun

minister m (plural ministeres)

1. minister
2. ministry

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *minosteros. Equivalent to minus + comparative suffix *-teros. Compare magister.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /miˈnis.ter/, [mɪˈnɪs̠t̪ɛr]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /miˈnis.ter/, [miˈnist̪er]

Noun

minister m (genitive ministrī, feminine ministra or ministrīx); second declension

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

   Synonym: cōnscius

Declension

Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er).

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	minister	ministrī
Genitive	ministrī	ministrōrum
Dative	ministrō	ministrīs
Accusative	ministrum	ministrōs
Ablative	ministrō	ministrīs
Vocative	minister	ministrī

Coordinate terms

• magister
• ministra f
• ministrīx f

Derived terms

• ministerium
• ministrō

Descendants

• Catalan: ministre
• → Danish: minister
  • → Greenlandic: ministeri
• Galician: ministro
• German: Minister
• Hungarian: miniszter
• Italian: ministro
• Occitan: ministre
• → Old French: ministre
  • French: ministre
  • Middle English: ministre
    • English: minister
• Polish: minister
• Portuguese: ministro
• Romanian: ministru
• Russian: мини́стр (minístr)
• Serbo-Croatian: ministar
• Spanish: ministro

References

• “minister”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “minister”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

minister

1. Alternative form of ministre

Etymology 2

Verb

minister

1. Alternative form of mynystren

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

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

1. (government) a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

Terms derived from minister

• finansminister
• førsteminister
• justisminister

• miljøminister
• samferdselsminister

• statsminister
• utenriksminister

References

• “minister” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

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

1. (government) a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

Terms derived from minister

• finansminister
• førsteminister, fyrsteminister

• justisminister
• miljøminister

• samferdselsminister
• statsminister

References

• “minister” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin minister.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈɲis.tɛr/

• Audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -istɛr
• Syllabification: mi‧nis‧ter

Noun

minister m pers

1. (politics) minister

Declension

Declension of minister

	singular	plural
nominative	minister	ministrowie/ministry (depreciative)
genitive	ministra	ministrów
dative	ministrowi	ministrom
accusative	ministra	ministrów
instrumental	ministrem	ministrami
locative	ministrze	ministrach
vocative	ministrze	ministrowie

Noun

minister f (indeclinable)

1. (politics) female equivalent of minister (“minister”)

Further reading

• minister in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• minister in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ministère.

Noun

minister n (plural ministere)

1. ministry

Related terms

• ministru

Swedish

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

minister c

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

Declension

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

Derived terms

• finansminister
• försvarsminister
• justitieminister
• kulturminister
• miljöminister
• statsminister
• utbildningsminister
• utrikesminister

 

West Frisian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ministre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈnɪstər/, /məˈnɪstər/

Noun

minister c (plural ministers)

1. minister (of a government)

Derived terms

• minister-presidint

Further reading

• “minister”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011