clergy
Americannoun
noun
Grammar
See collective noun.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of clergy
1175–1225; Middle English clerge, clergie < Old French clergé (< Late Latin clericātus office of a priest; cleric, -ate 3 ), clergie, equivalent to clerc cleric + -ie -y 3, with -g- after clergé
Explanation
In the Christian church, the clergy is the entire class of religious officials, from priests to pastors to bishops and beyond. If you have a sense that your life path lies in helping others practice their faith, you should go into the clergy. Clergy comes from the word clerk, which in turn comes from cleric. If the only clerks you think of are those that work in shoe stores, think of it this way: when you join the ministry of a church, the idea is that you serve the church. Clergy is the word for all of the clerics combined, and is paired with the laity, which are all the people in the church who aren't in the clergy.
Vocabulary lists containing clergy
World Religions
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Content Summary 5.1: Causes of the Atlantic Revolutions
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Medieval Europe - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While some more skeptically minded clergy do not enjoy discussing demonic possession, each diocese is supposed to have a designated exorcist.
From Slate • Jun. 8, 2026
The clergy specifically placed the handles of the tall ark at the bottom, so that even preschoolers would be able to open it.
From Los Angeles Times • May 20, 2026
The demonstrations, organized under the banner “All Roads Lead to the South,” brought activists, clergy members, students, union organizers, and elected officials to the historic sites associated with the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
He has also espoused a more collegiate style of governance, delegating some particularly sensitive topics to his senior clergy.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Not only were they eminently respectable, these were figures who held real influence in British life: politicians, diplomats, military men, clergy.
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
