minister

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See also: Minister

English[edit]

A user suggests that this English entry be cleaned up, giving the reason: “Is minister really someone who "heads a ministry"? Do U.K. "junior ministers" head a ministry? See the talk page”.
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Pronunciation[edit]

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

Etymology 1[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. Doublet of Minorite.

Noun[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

minister (plural ministers)

  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.
    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.
  3. In 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.
Usage notes[edit]

Not to be confused with minster.

Hypernyms[edit]
  • (chief minister in areas of Central Europe and Scandinavia): provost
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Descendants[edit]
  • Pijin: minista
  • Hausa: ministà
Translations[edit]
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
See also[edit]

Etymology 2[edit]

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

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.
  2. to function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship
  3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
Translations[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Danish[edit]

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia da

Etymology[edit]

From Latin minister.

Noun[edit]

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

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

Descendants[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Dutch[edit]

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nl

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

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

Etymology 2[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

  1. (religion) A servant of a monastery, or assistent of a priest.
Descendants[edit]
References[edit]

Estonian[edit]

Estonian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia et

Pronunciation[edit]

This entry needs audio files. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record some and upload them. (For audio required quickly, visit WT:APR.)

Noun[edit]

minister (genitive ministri, partitive ministrit)

  1. minister

Declension[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Inari Sami[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Noun[edit]

minister

  1. minister (politician)

Inflection[edit]

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[edit]

Ladin[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister m (plural ministeres)

  1. minister
  2. ministry

Latin[edit]

Etymology[edit]

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

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

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

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

Declension[edit]

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[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

  • 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[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister

  1. Alternative form of ministre

Etymology 2[edit]

Verb[edit]

minister

  1. Alternative form of mynystren

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

Derived terms[edit]

References[edit]

Polish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin minister.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /miˈɲis.tɛr/
  • (file)
  • Rhymes: -istɛr
  • Syllabification: mi‧nis‧ter

Noun[edit]

minister m pers

  1. (politics) minister

Declension[edit]

Noun[edit]

minister f (indeclinable)

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

Further reading[edit]

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

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed 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]

West Frisian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from French ministre.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /miˈnɪstər/, /məˈnɪstər/

Noun[edit]

minister c (plural ministers)

  1. minister (of a government)

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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