chaplain
Americannoun
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an ecclesiastic attached to the chapel of a royal court, college, etc., or to a military unit.
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a person who says the prayer, invocation, etc., for an organization or at an assembly.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of chaplain
before 1100; Middle English chapelain < Middle French < Late Latin cappellānus custodian of St. Martin's cloak ( see chapel, -an); replacing Old English capellan < Late Latin, as above
Explanation
A chaplain is usually a religious leader — a minister, rabbi, or other clergy member — who works outside of a church or temple. You can use the word chaplain to describe the minister who counsels patients at your local hospital. Or, a chaplain could also be a priest who lives and works with soldiers on a battlefield (a military chaplain). These days, many chaplains are non-denominational, not associated with any particular religion. The Latin root word, cappellanus, means "clergyman."
Vocabulary lists containing chaplain
I Am Malala
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The Wednesday Wars
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 11
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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.
Among them were the first female commandant of the Coast Guard, the head of the Army’s Chaplain Corps, and a four-star general overseeing the Army’s Transformation and Training Command.
From Salon • May 1, 2026
Earlier that morning, Father Frank Cancro, 74, the National Circus Chaplain, laid out water, wine, communion wafers and a cross on a folding table adorned with a black tablecloth.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
Lest one look at recent congressional dysfunction and dismiss the committee’s impact, I’m reminded of a recent interaction I had with the House Chaplain.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 9, 2023
"Even when they stabilize production, I don't see them having quite the factory line that you need to get for that kind of thing," added Chaplain, who led GAO audits of SLS.
From Reuters • Jun. 7, 2023
Lyra imagined the Chaplain speaking loftily, listening to the star daemons’ remarks, and then nodding judiciously or shaking his head in regret.
From "The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman
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.
