pastor

American  

[pas-ter, pah-ster] / ˈpæs tər, ˈpɑ stər /

noun

1. a minister or priest in charge of a church.

2. a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.

3. Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus rosy pastor of Europe and Asia.

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verb (used with object)

1. to serve as the pastor of.

   He pastored the church here for many years.

pastor British  

/ ˈpɑːstə /

noun

1. a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation

2. a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people

3. an archaic word for shepherd

4. Also called: rosy pastor.  a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body

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pastor Cultural  

1. In some groups of Christians (see also Christian), the clergyman in charge of an individual congregation. The term is used this way in the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists and in the Protestant Episcopal Church.

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Other Word Forms

• pastorless adjective
• pastorlike adjective
• pastorly adjective
• pastorship noun
• subpastor noun

Etymology

Origin of pastor

1325–75; < Latin pāstor shepherd, literally, feeder, equivalent to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English pastour < Anglo-French

Example Sentences

Emerging bluesman Sammie plays a song he wrote as a confession to his pastor father, a paean to the music he loves.

From Los Angeles Times

Then the pastor made good on his promise to deliver satire with a bit where, in response to a burst of irritating feedback, he heads to the control room.

From Salon

When Remi Tinubu -- a Christian pastor married to Nigeria's Muslim president -- visited Washington this month, Smith declined to attend a dinner with her.

From Barron's

A third cousin, a gospel-of-success evangelical pastor played by Topher Grace, is easy to dislike but a bit more difficult to despise.

From The Wall Street Journal

I ate about half of Chipotle’s chicken al pastor burrito before stopping.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cleric
• minister
• preacher
• priest
• rector
• vicar