clerical

[kler-i-kuh l]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR clerical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks: a clerical job.

doing the work of a clerk or clerks: a clerical assistant; a clerical staff.

of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy: clerical garb.

advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc.: a clerical party.

noun

a cleric.

clericals, Informal. clerical garments.

a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

Also called clerical error. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

Origin of clerical

1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 for def 3; late Middle English < Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric(us) cleric + -ālis -al¹

Related formscler·i·cal·i·ty, nouncler·i·cal·ly, adverbin·ter·cler·i·cal, adjectivenon·cler·i·cal, adjective, nounnon·cler·i·cal·ly, adverbpre·cler·i·cal, adjectivepro·cler·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·cler·i·cal, adjectivepseu·do·cler·i·cal·ly, adverbqua·si-cler·i·cal, adjectivequa·si-cler·i·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·cler·i·cal, adjectivesem·i·cler·i·cal·ly, adverbun·cler·i·cal, adjectiveun·cler·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for clerical

Contemporary Examples of clerical

Padre Goyo, with his clerical collar and his bulletproof vest, is an icon for those fighting drugs and corruption.
Mexico’s Holy Warrior Against the Cartels
Jason McGahan
November 18, 2014
They are meant to show that the Church has adopted a new line of transparency on clerical sex abuse.
How Sicko Priests Got Away With It
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 16, 2014
There are emails so recent, they call into question just how much of the clerical abuse is still going on.
Chicago Priests Raped and Pillaged for 50 Years
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 7, 2014
Instead, Clohessy accuses Cardinal George and dozens of his clerical colleagues of opting to put their own reputations first.
Chicago Priests Raped and Pillaged for 50 Years
Barbie Latza Nadeau
November 7, 2014
But some reflects the impact of the ever more powerful Clerical regime, whose expansive regulatory power undermines small firms.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class
Joel Kotkin
August 10, 2014

Historical Examples of clerical

This General Conference was strictly a clerical organization.
Samantha Among the Brethren, Part 7.
Josiah Allen's Wife (Marietta Holley)
She had never seen him in his clerical dress, so she could not have recognised him yet.
The Missionary
George Griffith
It is true that his practical experience of his clerical life was very slender.
Great Astronomers
R. S. Ball
"You see, they want to get married," said the man with the clerical hat.
The Wisdom of Father Brown
G. K. Chesterton
"Our clerical friend does not realize the importance of his own point," he said softly.
The Crooked House
Brandon Fleming

British Dictionary definitions for clerical

clerical

adjective

relating to or associated with the clergyclerical dress

of or relating to office clerks or their worka clerical error

supporting or advocating clericalism

Derived Formsclerically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for clerical

adj.

1590s, "pertaining to the clergy," from cleric + -al (1), or from French clérical, from Old French clerigal "learned," from Latin clericalis, from clericus (see cleric). Meaning "pertaining to clerks" is from 1798.