Minister

Minister
Minister Min"is*ter, n. [OE. ministre, F. ministre, fr. L. minister, orig. a double comparative from the root of minor less, and hence meaning, an inferior, a servant. See 1st {Minor}, and cf. {Master}, {Minstrel}.] [1913 Webster] 1. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument. [1913 Webster]

Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua. --Ex. xxiv. 13. [1913 Webster]

I chose Camillo for the minister, to poison My friend Polixenes. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. An officer of justice. [Obs.] [1913 Webster]

I cry out the on the ministres, quod he, That shoulde keep and rule this cit['e]. --Chaucer. [1913 Webster]

3. One to whom the sovereign or executive head of a government intrusts the management of affairs of state, or some department of such affairs. [1913 Webster]

Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

4. A representative of a government, sent to the court, or seat of government, of a foreign nation to transact diplomatic business. [1913 Webster]

Note: Ambassadors are classed (in the diplomatic sense) in the first rank of public ministers, ministers plenipotentiary in the second. ``The United States diplomatic service employs two classes of ministers, -- ministers plenipotentiary and ministers resident.'' --Abbott. [1913 Webster]

5. One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal duties; the pastor of a church duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Syn: Delegate; official; ambassador; clergyman; parson; priest. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • Minister(in) — Minister(in) …   Deutsch Wörterbuch

  • Minister — • Even before the Reformation the word minister was occasionally used in English to describe those of the clergy actually taking part in a function, or the celebrant as distinguished from the assistants, but it was not then used sine addito to… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • minister — min‧is‧ter [ˈmɪnstə ǁ ər] noun [countable] in Britain and some other countries, a politician who is a member of the government and is either in charge of or has an important job in a government department: • a meeting of EU finance ministers •… …   Financial and business terms

  • minister — MINISTÉR, ministere, s.n. 1. Organ central al administraţiei de stat care conduce o anumită ramură a activităţii statului şi care este condus de un ministru; instituţia respectivă; p. ext. clădirea în care îşi are sediul această instituţie. 2.… …   Dicționar Român

  • Minister — can mean several things: Minister (Christianity), a Christian who ministers in some way Minister (diplomacy), the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador Minister (government), a politician who heads a ministry (government department) Shadow… …   Wikipedia

  • Minister — Sm std. (14. Jh.) Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus l. minister Diener , zu l. minor kleiner, geringer . Die Bedeutung Regierungsmitglied im 17. Jh. aus frz. ministre desselben Ursprungs (in merowingischer Zeit war das ministerium der Haus und Hofdienst… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

  • minister to — ˈminister to [transitive] [present tense I/you/we/they minister to he/she/it ministers to present participle ministering to past tense ministered to …   Useful english dictionary

  • Minister — Min is*ter, v. i. 1. To act as a servant, attendant, or agent; to attend and serve; to perform service in any office, sacred or secular. [1913 Webster] The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister. Matt. xx. 28. [1913 Webster] 2 …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Minister — Minister: Die Bezeichnung für »oberster ‹Verwaltungs›beamter des Staates; Mitglied der Regierung« wurde im 17. Jh. aus gleichbed. frz. ministre (eigentlich »Diener«, dann etwa »Diener des Staates; mit einem politischen Amt Beauftragter«) entlehnt …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • minister — [n1] person in charge of church abbot, archbishop, archdeacon, bishop, chaplain, clergy, clergyperson, cleric, clerical, clerk, confessor, curate, deacon, dean, diocesan, divine, ecclesiastic, lecturer, missionary, monk, parson, pastor, preacher …   New thesaurus

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