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Webster 1913 Edition

Minister

Min′is-ter

,
Noun.
[OE.
ministre
, F.
ministre
, fr. L.
minister
, orig. a double comparative from the root of
minor
less, and hence meaning, an inferior, a servant. See 1st
Minor
, and cf.
Master
,
Minstrel
.]
1.
A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
Moses rose up, and his
minister
Joshua.
Ex. xxiv. 13.
I chose
Camillo for the
minister
, to poison
My friend Polixenes.
Shakespeare
2.
An officer of justice.
[Obs.]
I cry out the on the
ministres
, quod he,
That shoulde keep and rule this cité.
Chaucer.
3.
One to whom the sovereign or executive head of a government intrusts the management of affairs of state, or some department of such affairs.
Ministers
to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.
Bacon.
4.
A representative of a government, sent to the court, or seat of government, of a foreign nation to transact diplomatic business.
☞ Ambassadors are classed (in the diplomatic sense) in the first rank of public ministers, ministers plenipotentiary in the second. “The United States diplomatic service employs two classes of ministers, – ministers plenipotentiary and ministers resident.”
Abbott.
5.
One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal duties; the pastor of a church duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments.
Addison.
Syn. – Delegate; official; ambassador; clergyman; parson; priest.

Min′is-ter

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Ministered
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Ministering
.]
[OE.
ministren
, OF.
ministrer
, fr. L.
ministrare
. See
Minister
,
Noun.
]
To furnish or apply; to afford; to supply; to administer.
He that
ministereth
seed to the sower.
2 Cor. ix. 10.
We
minister
to God reason to suspect us.
Jer. Taylor.

Min′is-ter

,
Verb.
I.
1.
To act as a servant, attendant, or agent; to attend and serve; to perform service in any office, sacred or secular.
The Son of man came not to be
ministered
unto, but to
minister
.
Matt. xx. 28.
2.
To supply or to things needful; esp., to supply consolation or remedies;
as, to
minister
to the sick
.
Matt. xxv. 44.
Canst thou not
minister
to a mind diseased?
Shakespeare

Webster 1828 Edition

Minister

MIN'ISTER

,
Noun.
[L.]
1.
Properly, a chief servant; hence, an agent appointed to transact or manage business under the authority of another; in which sense, it is a word of very extensive application.
Moses rose up and his minister Joshua. Ex.24.
2.
One to whom a king or prince entrusts the direction of affairs of state; as minister of state; the prime minister. In modern governments, the secretaries or heads of the several departments or branches of government are the ministers of the chief magistrate.
3.
A magistrate; an executive officer.
For he is the minister of God to thee for good. Rom.13.
4.
A delegate; an embassador; the representative of a sovereign at a foreign court; usually such as is resident at a foreign court, but not restricted to such.
5.
One who serves at the altar; one who performs sacerdotal duties; the pastor of a church, duly authorized or licensed to preach the gospel and administer the sacraments. Eph.3.
6.
Christ is called a minister of the sanctuary. Heb.8.
7.
An angel; a messenger of God.
Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire. Ps.104.

MIN'ISTER

,
Verb.
T.
[L. ministro.] To give; to afford; to supply.
He that ministereth seed to the sower--2 Cor.9.
That it may minister grace to the hearers. Eph.4.

MIN'ISTER

,
Verb.
I.
To attend and serve; to perform service in any office, sacred or secular.
I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. Ex.29.
1.
To afford supplies; to give things needful; to supply the means of relief; to relieve.
When saw we thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
Matt.25.
2.
To give medicines.
Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased?
In this sense, we commonly use administer.

Definition 2024

Minister

Minister

See also: minister

German

Noun

Minister m ‎(genitive Ministers, plural Minister, feminine Ministerin)

  1. minister (a person who is commissioned by the government for public service)
    • Johannes Schmidt ist der Minister für Nationale Verteidigung.
      • Johannes Schmidt is the Minister of National Defence.
    • 2007, Frank Brettschneider & Oskar Niedermayer & Bernhard Weßels (eds.), Die Bundestagswahl 2005: Analysen des Wahlkampfes und der Wahlergebnisse, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften, p.173:
      Ebenfalls finden sich in der Regierung der Großen Koalition unter Kanzlerin Merkel proportional gesehen weniger weibliche Minister als noch unter Kanzler Schröder (sechs Frauen gegenüber zehn Männern unter Merkel und sechs Frauen gegenüber acht Männern unter Schröder).

Declension

Related terms

References

  • Prowe, Gunhild; Schneider, Jill; Rowlinson, William (1993) The Oxford Paperback German Dictionary & Grammar, Chatham, Kent, UK: Mackays of Chatham plc, ISBN 0-19-864530-9, published 1995, page 153

minister

minister

See also: Minister

English

Noun

minister ‎(plural ministers)

  1. A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.
    The minister said a prayer on behalf of the entire congregation.‎
  2. A politician who heads a ministry (national or regional government department for public service).
    He was newly appointed to be Minister of the Interior.‎
    • Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
      Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.
  3. At a diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
  4. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
    • Bible, Exodus xxiv. 13
      Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua.
    • William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
      I chose / Camillo for the minister, to poison / My friend Polixenes.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with minster.

Hypernyms

  • (Chief minister in areas of Central Europe and Scandinavia): provost

Related terms

Translations

Verb

minister ‎(third-person singular simple present ministers, present participle ministering, simple past and past participle ministered)

  1. (transitive) To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.
    A newspaper headline: Couple leaves business world to minister to inner-city children
  2. to function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship
  3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
    • Bible, 2 Corinthians ix. 10
      He that ministereth seed to the sower.
    • Jeremy Taylor
      We minister to God reason to suspect us.
    • 1610, The Tempest, by Shakespeare, act 2 scene 1
      I do well believe your highness; and did it to / minister occasion to these gentlemen [...] (to give opportunity to these gentlemen)

Translations

See also

Anagrams

Danish

Noun

minister c ‎(definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministre, definite plural ministrene)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Dutch

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /miˈnɪstər/

Noun

minister m ‎(plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

  1. A minister, a person who is commissioned by the government for public service.

Inari Sami

Noun

minister

  1. minister (politician)

Inflection

Odd inflection[1]
singular plural
Nominative minister ministereh
Accusative minister ministerijd
Genitive minister ministerij
Illative ministerân ministeráid
Locative ministerist ministerijn
Comitative ministeráin ministerijguin
Abessive ministerttáá ministerijttáá
Essive ministerin —
Partitive ministerid —

Derived terms

References

  1. ↑ minister in Giellatekno Inari Sami paradigm generator

Ladin

Noun

minister m ‎(plural ministeres)

  1. minister
  2. ministry

Latin

Etymology

From minus + comparative suffix *-tero-. Compare magister.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /miˈnis.ter/, [mɪˈnɪs.tɛr]

Noun

minister m ‎(genitive ministrī); second declension

  1. attendant, servant, waiter
  2. agent, aide
  3. accomplice

Inflection

Second declension, nominative singular in -er.

Case Singular Plural
nominative minister ministrī
genitive ministrī ministrōrum
dative ministrō ministrīs
accusative ministrum ministrōs
ablative ministrō ministrīs
vocative minister1 ministrī

1May also be ministre.

Derived terms

Coordinate terms

Descendants

References

Norwegian Bokmål

Noun

minister m ‎(definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministere or ministre or ministrer, definite plural ministerne or ministrene)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

Norwegian Nynorsk

Noun

minister m ‎(definite singular ministeren, indefinite plural ministrar, definite plural ministrane)

  1. a minister (politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

Romanian

Etymology

From French ministère.

Noun

minister n ‎(plural ministere)

  1. ministry

Related terms

Swedish

Pronunciation

Noun

minister c

  1. a minister (member of government, cabinet)
  2. a minister (in the foreign affairs administration)

Declension

Inflection of minister 
Singular Plural
Indefinite Definite Indefinite Definite
Nominative minister ministern ministrar ministrarna
Genitive ministers ministerns ministrars ministrarnas

Related terms

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /mɪˈnɪstɐ/

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