clerisy

[ kler-uh-see ]

/ ˈklɛr ə si /

noun

learned persons as a class; literati; intelligentsia.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for clerisy

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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST

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|DAILY BEAST

Word Origin and History for clerisy

clerisy

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].