cleric

[kler-ik]

noun

1. a member of the clergy.

2. a member of a clerical party.

3. (used with a plural verb),  clerics, half-sized or small-sized reading glasses worn on the nose, usually rimless or with a thin metal frame.

adjective

1. pertaining to the clergy; clerical.

cleric

/ ˈklɛrɪk /

noun

1. a member of the clergy

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleric¹

1615–25; < Late Latin clēricus priest < Greek klērikós, equivalent to klêr ( os ) lot, allotment + -ikos -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of cleric¹

C17: from Church Latin clēricus priest, _clerk

Example Sentences

The Lebanese authorities seized Mr Gaddafi, now 49, in 2015, accusing him of concealing information about the fate of a Lebanese Shia cleric who disappeared in Libya in 1978, when he was just two.

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In the madrassa, he recalls mullahs - Muslim clerics - preaching heavily on a specific topic - martyrdom.

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Hundreds of mourners walked with coffins draped in colourful cloth into the compound of the Arerti Mariam church while clerics conducted burial rituals.

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His followers gave him the title of imam, an unusual honour for a living Shia cleric and one bestowed on him in recognition of his work on behalf of the Shia community.

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A prominent Taliban cleric had publicly singled him out as an apostate — a traitor to Islam — placing a bullseye on his head.

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Related Words

• chaplain 
• clergyman 
• minister 
• priest 
• rabbi