minister

See also: Minister

English

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/, /ˈmɪn.ɪ-/
• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ɪs.tə/
• (Ireland) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ə.stɚ/
  • (Dublin) IPA^(key): /ˈmɪn.ə.stɐ/, /ˈmɪn.ə.stɚ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio (UK):

  (file)

Etymology 1

From Middle English ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister (“an attendant, servant, assistant, a priest's assistant or other under official”), from minor (“less”) + -ter; see minor. Doublet of Minorite.

Noun

English Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia

minister (plural ministers)

2. (Protestantism) A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.

   Hypernym: cleric

   The minister said a prayer on behalf of the entire congregation.

3. (Roman Catholicism) A person (either a layperson or an ordained clergy member) who is commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Catholic Church.
5. (government) A politician who heads a ministry

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:government minister

   Hypernym: provost (chief minister in areas of Central Europe and Scandinavia)

   He was newly appointed to be Minister of the Interior.

   • 1661 (first printed), Francis Bacon, A Letter of Advice to the Duke of Buckingham:

     Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.

7. In diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
9. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
   • c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene ii], page 287, column 2:

      […], I choſe / Camillo for the miniſter, to poyſon / My friend Polixenes: […]

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Exodus 24:13, column 1:

     And Moſes roſe vp, and his miniſter Ioſhua: and Moſes went vp into the mount of God.

Usage notes

Not to be confused with minster.

Derived terms

• cabinet minister
• catechetical minister
• chief minister
• culture minister
• deputy first minister
• ecclesial minister
• e-minister
• Eucharistic minister
• extraordinary minister
• first minister
• foreign minister
• interior minister
• junior minister
• lay minister
• liturgical minister
• minister of justice
• minister of state
• minister-president
• minister without portfolio
• ministress
• ordinary minister
• prime minister
• resident minister
• shadow minister
• stickit minister

Related terms

• ministerial
• ministerium
• ministrix
• ministry

Descendants

• Pijin: minista
• → Hausa: ministà

Translations

person who is trained to perform religious ceremonies at a Protestant church

Afrikaans: predikant (af), dominee (af) Albanian: prift (sq) m Arabic: قِسِّيس (ar) m (qissīs), دَاعِيَة (ar) (dāʕiya), كَاهِن m (kāhin) Armenian: քահանա (hy) (kʻahana) Belarusian: свяшчэ́ннiк m (svjaščénnik) Bulgarian: свеще́ник (bg) m (svešténik) Burmese: ဘုန်းကြီး (my) (bhun:kri:) Catalan: ministre de l'església m Cherokee: ᎠᎵᏣᏙᎲᏍᎩ (alitsadohvsgi) Chichewa: mbusa Chinese: Cantonese: 牧師 / 牧师 (muk6 si1) Eastern Min: 牧師 / 牧师 (mŭk-sṳ̆) Hokkien: 牧師 / 牧师 (zh-min-nan) (bo̍k-su) Mandarin: 牧師 / 牧师 (zh) (mùshī) Czech: kněz (cs) m, duchovní (cs) m Danish: præst (da) c, pastor c Dutch: dominee (nl) m Erzya: туростор (turostor) Esperanto: pastoro (eo), pastro Estonian: preester Finnish: pappi (fi) French: pasteur (fr) m, prêtre (fr) m Galician: ministro m Georgian: მღვდელი (ka) (mɣvdeli) German: Pfarrer (de) m, Priester (de) m Greek: πάστορας (el) m (pástoras) Hebrew: כֹּמֶר / כומר (he) m (kómer), כּוֹהֵן / כֹּהֵן m (kohén) Hindi: पादरी (hi) m (pādrī), काहिन m (kāhin), याजक (hi) m (yājak) Hungarian: lelkész (hu), lelkipásztor (hu) Icelandic: prestur (is) m Italian: prete (it) m Japanese: 牧師 (ja) (ぼ​くし, bokushi) Korean: 목사(牧師) (ko) (moksa) Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: qeşe (ku) m or f Lao: ນິຄົນ (ni khon) Latvian: priesteris m, mācītājs m Lithuanian: kunigas m Macedonian: све́штеник m (svéštenik) Maori: minita Navajo: ééʼ neishoodii Norwegian: Bokmål: prest (no) m Old Church Slavonic: Cyrillic: свѧщеникъ m (svęštenikŭ) Pashto: پادري (ps) m (pādri), کاهن m (kāhǝn), کشیش (kašiš) Persian: Dari: کَاهِن (kāhin), کَشِیش (kašīš) Iranian Persian: کاهِن (kâhen), کَشیش (kašiš) Pijin: minista Plautdietsch: Prädja m Polish: ksiądz (pl) m, pastor (pl) m, duchowny (pl) m Portuguese: pastor (pt) m Romanian: pastor (ro) m, preot (ro) m Russian: свяще́нник (ru) m (svjaščénnik) Scottish Gaelic: ministear m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: свѐштенӣк m, свѐћенӣк m, духо̀внӣк m Roman: svèštenīk (sh) m, svèćenīk m, duhòvnīk (sh) m Slovak: kňaz (sk) m, duchovný m Slovene: duhovnik (sl) m Sotho: moruti Spanish: ministro (es) Swedish: präst (sv) c Tagalog: kataluna, ministro (tl) Thai: บาทหลวง (th) (bàat-lǔuang) Tok Pisin: minista Turkmen: ruhany Ukrainian: свяще́ник m (svjaščényk) Urdu: خادِمِ دِین m (xādim-i dīn), پادْری m (pādrī), کاہِن m (kāhin) Uzbek: ruhoniy (uz) Vietnamese: mục sư (vi) (牧師), linh mục (vi) (靈牧) Welsh: gweinidog (cy) m

person who is commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Catholic Church

German: Dienstamtsträger (de) m, Dienstamtsträgerin f Vietnamese: thừa tác viên

politician who heads a ministry

Afrikaans: minister (af) Albanian: ministër (sq) m, ministre (sq) f Amharic: ሚኒስትር (ministər) Arabic: وَزِير m (wazīr), وَزِيرَة f (wazīra) Egyptian Arabic: وزير (wazīr) Armenian: նախարար (hy) (naxarar) Assamese: মন্ত্ৰী (montri), উজীৰ (uzir), মিনিষ্টাৰ (ministar) Azerbaijani: nazir (az), vəzir Bashkir: министр (ministr) Basque: ministro Belarusian: міні́стр m (minístr), міні́стар m (minístar) (Taraškievica), міні́стрка f (minístrka), міні́старка f (minístarka) Bengali: মন্ত্রী (bn) (montri), উজির (bn) (ujir) Bole: minista Bulgarian: мини́стър (bg) m (minístǎr), мини́стърка f (minístǎrka) Burmese: ဝန်ကြီး (my) (wankri:) Catalan: ministre (ca) m Chichewa: nduna Chinese: Cantonese: 大臣 (daai6 san4), 部長 / 部长 (bou6 zoeng2) Hakka: 大臣 (thai-sṳ̀n) Hokkien: 大臣 (tāi-sîn) Mandarin: 大臣 (zh) (dàchén), 部長 / 部长 (zh) (bùzhǎng) Crimean Tatar: nazir Czech: ministr (cs) m, ministryně (cs) f Danish: minister (da) c Dhivehi: ވަޒީރު (vazīru) Dutch: minister (nl) m or f Erzya: туростор (turostor) Esperanto: ministro (eo) Estonian: minister (et) Finnish: ministeri (fi) French: ministre (fr) m or f Galician: ministro m Georgian: მინისტრი (ka) (minisṭri) German: Minister (de) m, (female) Ministerin (de) f Greek: υπουργός (el) m or f (ypourgós) Ancient: ὑπουργός m (hupourgós) Gujarati: મંત્રી m (mantrī) Hausa: minista (ha) Hebrew: שַׂר (he) m (sar), שָׂרָה (he) f (sará) Hindi: वज़ीर m (vazīr), मंत्री (hi) m (mantrī) Hungarian: miniszter (hu) Iban: menteri Icelandic: ráðherra m Indonesian: menteri (id) Japanese: 大臣 (ja) (だいじん, daijin), 長官 (ja) (ちょうかん, chōkan) Javanese: mantri (jv) Kannada: ಮಂತ್ರಿ (kn) (mantri) Kazakh: министр (ministr), уәзір (uäzır) Khmer: រដ្ឋមន្ត្រី (km) (rŏət mŭəntrəy), មន្ត្រី (km) (mŭəntrəy) Korean: 대신(大臣) (ko) (daesin), 장관(長官) (ko) (janggwan), 상(相) (ko) (sang) (North Korea, esp. in compounds) Kurdish: Northern Kurdish: wezîr (ku) m or f, şalyar (ku) m or f Kyrgyz: министр (ky) (ministr), вазир (ky) (vazir) Ladino: bakan, agá, vezir Lao: ລັດຖະມົນຕີ (lat tha mon tī) Latvian: ministrs m, ministre f Lithuanian: ministras (lt) m, ministrė f Macedonian: министер (mk) m (minister), министерка f (ministerka) Malay: menteri (ms) Malayalam: മന്ത്രി (ml) (mantri) Maori: minita Marathi: मंत्री (mr) (mantrī) Mongolian: Cyrillic: сайд (mn) (sajd) Mongolian: ᠰᠠᠶᠢᠳ (sayid) Nepali: मन्त्री (ne) (mantrī) Norwegian: Bokmål: minister (no) m Nynorsk: minister m Occitan: ministre (oc) m Odia: ମନ୍ତ୍ରୀ (or) (mantri) Old English: þeġen Pashto: وزير (ps) m (wazīr) Persian: Dari: وَزِیر (wazīr) Iranian Persian: وَزیر (vazir) Polish: minister (pl) m or f Portuguese: ministro (pt) Romanian: ministru (ro) m, ministră f Russian: мини́стр (ru) m (minístr) (male or female) Sanskrit: मन्त्रि (sa) m (mantri), मन्त्रिन् (sa) m (mantrin) Scottish Gaelic: ministear m Serbo-Croatian: Cyrillic: мѝнистар m, мѝнистрица f, мѝниста̄рка f Roman: mìnistar (sh) m, mìnistrica (sh) f, mìnistārka (sh) f Slovak: minister m, ministryňa f Slovene: minister (sl) m, ministrica f Sotho: tona (st) Spanish: ministro (es) m Swahili: waziri (sw) Swedish: minister (sv) c Tajik: вазир (vazir) Tamil: அமைச்சர் (ta) (amaiccar), மந்திரி (ta) (mantiri) (dated) Tatar: министр (ministr), вәзир (tt) (wäzir) Telugu: మంత్రి (te) (mantri) Thai: รัฐมนตรี (th) (rát-tà-mon-dtrii) Tibetan: བློན་པོ (blon po) Tocharian B: āmaś Tumbuka: nduna Turkish: bakan (tr), vezir (tr) Turkmen: ministr, wezir Ukrainian: міні́стр (uk) m (minístr), міні́стрка f (minístrka) Urdu: وَزِیر (ur) m (vazīr) Uyghur: ۋەزىر (wezir) Uzbek: vazir (uz), ministr (uz) Vietnamese: bộ trưởng (vi) (部長), tổng trưởng (vi) (總長), đại thần (vi) (大臣) Volapük: ninisteran Welsh: gweinidog (cy) m Yiddish: מיניסטער m (minister) Zazaki: wezır, weyner

someone who serves others

Afrikaans: dienaar Dutch: dienaar (nl) Finnish: palvelija (fi) Gothic: 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌱𐌰𐌷𐍄𐍃 m (andbahts) Russian: исполни́тель (ru) m (ispolnítelʹ)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Interlingua: (please verify) ministro (ia)

See also

• cleric
• father
• parson
• pastor
• priest
• vicar

Etymology 2

Inherited from Middle English mynystren, from Middle French ministrer, from Old French menistrer, ministrer and Latin ministrō, from minister.

Verb

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

1. (intransitive, used with "to") To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.
2. (intransitive) To function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship.
3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
   • 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i], page 7, column 2:

     I do vvell beleeue your Highneſſe, and did it to miniſter occaſion to theſe Gentlemen, […]

     (to give opportunity to these gentlemen)

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Corinthians 9:10, column 2:

     ( […] Now he that miniſtreth ſeede to the ſower, both miniſter bread for your foode, and multiply your ſeede ſowen, and encreaſe the fruites of your righteouſneſſe)

   • 1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655, →OCLC:

     We minister to God reason to suspect us.

Translations

to attend to; to tend

Bulgarian: служа (bg) (služa) German: sich kümmern (de), sorgen (de) Russian: служи́ть (ru) n (služítʹ), помога́ть (ru) n (pomogátʹ) Spanish: ministrar (es) Swedish: vårda (sv), ta hand om (sv)

Further reading

• “minister”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “minister”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• Tenriism, Terminis, interims, ministre, smirnite

Danish

Danish Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia ^da

Etymology

From Latin minister.

Noun

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

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Descendants

• → Greenlandic: ministeri

Further reading

• “minister” in Den Danske Ordbog

Dutch

Dutch Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia ^nl

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈnɪs.tər/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪstər

Etymology 1

Borrowed from French ministre. Used in political contexts since the 16th century.

Noun

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

• minister-president
• ministerschap

Etymology 2

From Latin minister. Used in this sense since at least 1269.

Noun

minister m (plural ministers, diminutive ministertje n)

1. (religion) a servant of a monastery, or assistant of a priest

Descendants

• → Papiamentu: minister
• → Saramaccan: minísíti

References

• van der Sijs, Nicoline, editor (2010), “minister”, in Etymologiebank, Meertens Institute
• Woordenboek der Nederlandsche taal door M. de Vries & L.A. te Winkel. 43 banden. 's-Gravenhage, Nijhoff, 1864-2001

Estonian

Estonian Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia ^et

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /minˈister/

This entry needs an audio pronunciation. If you are a native speaker with a microphone, please record this word. The recorded pronunciation will appear here when it's ready.

Noun

minister (genitive ministri, partitive ministrit)

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Declension

Declension of minister (ÕS type 2/õpik, no gradation)
		singular	plural
nominative		minister	ministrid
accusative	nom.
	gen.	ministri
genitive			ministrite
partitive		ministrit	ministreid
illative		ministrisse	ministritesse ministreisse
inessive		ministris	ministrites ministreis
elative		ministrist	ministritest ministreist
allative		ministrile	ministritele ministreile
adessive		ministril	ministritel ministreil
ablative		ministrilt	ministritelt ministreilt
translative		ministriks	ministriteks ministreiks
terminative		ministrini	ministriteni
essive		ministrina	ministritena
abessive		ministrita	ministriteta
comitative		ministriga	ministritega

Derived terms

• justiitsminister
• kaitseminister
• keskkonnaminister
• peaminister
• tervishoiuminister
• välisminister

Further reading

• “minister”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009
• “minister”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN
• minister in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut)

Inari Sami

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

minister

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Inflection

Odd inflection
	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

• ruttâminister

Kashubian

Alternative forms

• minyster

Etymology

Borrowed from German Minister.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /miˈɲis.tɛr/
• Rhymes: -istɛr
• Syllabification: mi‧nis‧ter

Noun

minister m pers (related adjective ministrów or ministersczi or ministerialny)

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Declension

Declension of minister

	singular	plural
nominative	minister	ministrowie
genitive	ministra	ministrów
dative	ministrowi	ministróm
accusative	ministra	ministrów
instrumental	ministrã	ministrama
locative	ministrze	ministrach
vocative	minister/ministrze	ministrowie

Derived terms

noun

• ministerstwò

Further reading

• Stefan Ramułt (1893), “mińister”, in Słownik języka pomorskiego czyli kaszubskiego (in Kashubian), page 101
• Eùgeniusz Gòłąbk (2011), “minister”, in Słownik Polsko-Kaszubski / Słowôrz Pòlskò-Kaszëbsczi‎
• “minister”, in Internetowi Słowôrz Kaszëbsczégò Jãzëka [Internet Dictionary of the Kashubian Language], Fundacja Kaszuby, 2022

Ladin

Noun

minister m (plural ministeres)

1. minister
2. ministry

Latin

Etymology

From Proto-Italic *minosteros. Equivalent to minus + comparative suffix *-teros. Compare magister.

Pronunciation

• (Classical Latin) IPA^(key): [mɪˈnɪs.tɛr]
• (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): [miˈnis.t̪er]

Noun

minister m (genitive ministrī, feminine ministra or ministrīx); second declension

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

   Synonym: cōnscius

Declension

Second-declension noun (nominative singular in -er).

	singular	plural
nominative	minister	ministrī
genitive	ministrī	ministrōrum
dative	ministrō	ministrīs
accusative	ministrum	ministrōs
ablative	ministrō	ministrīs
vocative	minister	ministrī

Coordinate terms

• magister
• ministra f
• ministrīx f

Derived terms

• ministerium
• ministrō

Descendants

• Catalan: ministre
• → Danish: minister
  • → Greenlandic: ministeri
• → Galician: ministro
• German: Minister
• Hungarian: miniszter
• Italian: ministro
• Occitan: ministre
• → Old French: ministre
  • French: ministre
  • Middle English: ministre
    • English: minister
• → Old Polish: minister (learned)
  • Polish: minister
  • Silesian: minister
• → Portuguese: ministro
• Romanian: ministru
• Russian: мини́стр (minístr)
• Serbo-Croatian: ministar
• Sicilian: ministru
• Spanish: ministro

References

• “minister”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• “minister”, in Charlton T. Lewis (1891), An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

minister

1. alternative form of ministre

Etymology 2

Verb

minister

1. alternative form of mynystren

Norwegian Bokmål

Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia ^no

Noun

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

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

• finansminister
• førsteminister
• justisminister
• miljøminister
• samferdselsminister
• statsminister
• utenriksminister

References

• “minister” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:

minister

Wikipedia ⁿⁿ

Noun

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

1. (government) minister (a politician who heads a ministry)

Derived terms

• finansminister
• førsteminister, fyrsteminister
• justisminister
• miljøminister
• samferdselsminister
• statsminister

References

• “minister” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.