pastor

American  

[pas-ter, pah-ster] / ˈpæs tər, ˈpɑ stər /

noun

1. a minister or priest in charge of a church.

2. a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.

3. Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus rosy pastor of Europe and Asia.

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verb (used with object)

1. to serve as the pastor of.

   He pastored the church here for many years.

pastor British  

/ ˈpɑːstə /

noun

1. a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation

2. a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people

3. an archaic word for shepherd

4. Also called: rosy pastor.  a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body

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pastor Cultural  

1. In some groups of Christians (see also Christian), the clergyman in charge of an individual congregation. The term is used this way in the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists and in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

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Other Word Forms

• pastorless adjective
• pastorlike adjective
• pastorly adjective
• pastorship noun
• subpastor noun

Etymology

Origin of pastor

1325–75; < Latin pāstor shepherd, literally, feeder, equivalent to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English pastour < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

“It’s a challenging question,” said Andrew Sedra, a pastor from Sydney, Australia, who appeared several times on Kirk’s podcast and was at the Turning Point conference.

From The Wall Street Journal

His children were working, getting married and established in their own homes, and he’d been ordained as a pastor in 1999 and was deeply involved in his church.

From Los Angeles Times

Down the winding, two-lane roads that connect communities, a pastor organizes bottled-water drives for neighbors whose tap water is undrinkable, while the local utility patches together funding for long-term solutions.

From The Wall Street Journal

She called her pastor, Keith Torney, and asked if the children in Sunday school could draw menorahs and display them in their windows in solidarity with their Jewish neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal

A pastor at the vigil read a message from the soldier's parents, Jason and Melody Wolfe.

From BBC

Related Words

• cleric
• minister
• preacher
• priest
• rector
• vicar