ministerialis

M3I1N1I1S1T1E1R1I1A1L1I1S1

noun

A non-noble (originally unfree) official or retainer under certain feudal systems, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, who had specific military duties to his lord.

OriginLatin ministeriālis →
First used 19th c.Scrabble 15
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Meanings

nounministerialis (plural ministeriales)

plural ministeriales

  1. historicalA non-noble (originally unfree) official or retainer under certain feudal systems, especially in the Holy Roman Empire, who had specific military duties to his lord.First known use 19th c.

    Royal officials, recruited from ministeriales, were posted to oversee crown lands, castles, and the growing number of imperial towns that the Staufers also actively promoted.

    2016, Peter H. Wilson, The Holy Roman Empire, Penguin, published 2017, page 355

Origin

  1. Latinministeriālis“ministerial”
  2. Englishministerialis

From post-classical Latin ministeriālis (“ministerial”). Doublet of ministerial and minstrel.

More words from Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ministerialis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ministerialis

MLA

“ministerialis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ministerialis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ministerialis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ministerialis.

Source: ministerialis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.