clerical B2 Topic:Work & Careers US /ˈklɛrəkəl/ UK /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/ See IPA manual Freq #22920 Meanings 1 adj Relating to office work such as keeping records and files. She handles the clerical work, like filing and answering emails. 2 adj Relating to priests and the clergy. He wore a clerical collar to show he was a priest. Thesaurus Synonyms black-collarclericpastoral ↔ Opposites laysecular Word family Derived forms clericalismclericalistclericalityclericalizationclericalizeclericallyinterclericalnonclericalpreclericalpseudoclericalsemiclericalunclerical Related forms clergyclergymanclericclerkholysanctified Common collocations clerical collar Adjective + noun Etymology AI details From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”). clēricālis la-lat View etymology graph -> Topics Work & Careers External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # clerical **Type:** Word **Level:** B2 **Part of speech:** adj **IPA (US):** /ˈklɛrəkəl/ **IPA (UK):** /ˈklɛɹɪkəl/ **Frequency rank:** 22920 ## Meanings 1. Relating to office work such as keeping records and files. 2. Relating to priests and the clergy. ## Examples - She handles the clerical work, like filing and answering emails. - He wore a clerical collar to show he was a priest. ## Synonyms - black-collar - cleric - pastoral ## Antonyms - lay - secular ## Derived Forms - clericalism - clericalist - clericality - clericalization - clericalize - clerically - interclerical - nonclerical - preclerical - pseudoclerical - semiclerical - unclerical ## Related Forms - clergy - clergyman - cleric - clerk - holy - sanctified ## Roots and Affixes - Root: clēricālis ## Etymology From Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”). ## AI Etymology clerical is an adjective and noun. It is from Late Latin clēricālis (“clerical”), from clēricus (“clergyman, priest”). Historical forms in the chain include clēricālis (Late Latin). Current senses include relating to office work such as keeping records and files and relating to priests and the clergy. Derived forms include clericalism, clericalist, clericality, clericalization, and clericalize. Related words include clergy, clergyman, cleric, and clerk. ## Topics - Work & Careers markdown