clergy

American  

[klur-jee] / ˈklɜr dʒi /

noun

plural

clergies

1. the group or body of ordained persons in a religion, as distinguished from the laity.

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clergy British  

/ ˈklɜːdʒɪ /

noun

1. the collective body of men and women ordained as religious ministers, esp of the Christian Church

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Other Word Forms

• anticlergy adjective
• clergylike adjective
• proclergy adjective

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

Example Sentences

More than 40 of England's 108 bishops are now women, with a similar proportion among priests, after women clergy were first permitted in the early 1990s.

From Barron's

In a meeting earlier this month in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, conservative clergy gathered to select their own leader to follow instead of Dame Sarah, the Rwandan archbishop Laurent Mbanda.

From BBC

The province is dotted with old Catholic churches—a relic of a time when public institutions like schools and hospitals were under full control of the clergy.

From BBC

The minister he was assisting, he wrote, had turned the parish calling over to him: it was a wealthy congregation and large contributors expected frequent and unhurried visits from the clergy.

From Literature

"In life, these folks -- benefactors, knights, and clergy -- were also likely able to use their wealth to secure closer proximity to divinity, such as having a pew closer to the front of the church."

From Science Daily

Related Words

• priesthood