Etymology

minister

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Today it means: A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church. Full definition →

Middle English ministre ← Old French ministre ← Latin minister
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minister · noun1

  1. Latin · derived fromminister“an attendant, servant, assistant, a priest's assistant or other under official”
  2. Old French · derived fromministre
  3. Middle English · inherited fromministre
  4. English todayminister

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.

minister · verb2

  1. Latin · derived fromministrō
  2. Old French · derived frommenistrer
  3. Middle French · derived fromministrer
  4. Middle English · inherited frommynystren
  5. English todayminister

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

Words from the same roots

Latinministrō all →

minestrone

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.