clergyman C2+ Topic:Religion & Belief US /ˈklɝdʒimən/ UK /ˈklɜːdʒimən/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 noun an ordained male minister of a Christian church A gentle clergyman presided over the small parish. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 noun · an ordained male minister... ministerpriestclericparsonpastorvicarchurchmanecclesiastic ↔ Opposites layman Word family Related forms clergyclergywomanclericclerical Etymology AI details A compound of clergy + man, formed in English in the 16th century to denote an ordained male member of the clergy. clergie Old French klēros Ancient Greek View etymology graph -> Topics Religion & Belief Word Formation & Derivatives External links Google Images Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary # clergyman **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** noun **IPA (US):** /ˈklɝdʒimən/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈklɜːdʒimən/ ## Meanings 1. an ordained male minister of a Christian church ## Examples - A gentle clergyman presided over the small parish. ## Synonyms - minister - priest - cleric - parson - pastor - vicar - churchman - ecclesiastic ## Antonyms - layman ## Related Forms - clergy - clergywoman - cleric - clerical ## Roots and Affixes - Root: clergie - Root: klēros ## Etymology A compound of clergy + man, formed in English in the 16th century to denote an ordained male member of the clergy. ## AI Etymology Clergyman is a compound of clergy + man, formed in English in the 16th century to denote an ordained male member of the clergy. The historical trail runs through clergie in Old French and klēros in Ancient Greek. Morphologically, clergyman is transparent: it is a compound of clergy + man, formed in English in the 16th century to denote an ordained male member of the clergy. Used as a noun, clergyman now means "an ordained male minister of a Christian church", so the present definition can be read against the older forms and meanings. The same lexical family is also visible in related forms such as clergy, clergywoman, cleric, and clerical. The modern word remains analyzable through its parts, which makes the semantic connection unusually direct. ## Topics - Religion & Belief - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown