clerisy

[kler-uh-see]

See more synonyms for clerisy on Thesaurus.com

noun

learned persons as a class; literati; intelligentsia.

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Origin of clerisy

1818; < German Klerisei clergy < Medieval Latin clēricia, equivalent to clēric(us) cleric + -ia -ia; introduced by S.T. Coleridge

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clerisy

Contemporary Examples

It also has come under increased attack from among the ranks of the clerisy.
In the Future We'll All Be Renters: America's Disappearing Middle Class
Joel Kotkin
August 10, 2014
The Clerisy operates on very different principles than its rival power brokers, the oligarchs of finance, technology or energy.
Watch What You Say, The New Liberal Power Elite Won’t Tolerate Dissent
Joel Kotkin
June 7, 2014
Energy marks the clearest demarcating issues between the plutocrats and the Clerisy.
Despite the Great Recession, Obama’s New Coalition of Elites Has Thrived
Joel Kotkin
November 1, 2012
Much of the U.S. is struggling, but the Clerisy has thrived.
Despite the Great Recession, Obama’s New Coalition of Elites Has Thrived
Joel Kotkin
November 1, 2012
In contrast, the clerisy has little needed for the basically educated, but only an approving claque and faithful servants.
The Last Patrician: Romney Falls From Favor as America Loses Faith in Old Money
Joel Kotkin
January 23, 2012

Word Origin and History for clerisy

n.

1818, on model of German clerisei, from Late Latin clericia, related to clericus (see cleric); coined by Coleridge "to express a notion no longer associated with CLERGY" [OED].

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper