Minister
/ˈmɪnɪstər/noun
A person authorized to perform religious, governmental, or administrative duties.
Did you know?Minister comes from Latin minister, which originally meant a servant or attendant—likely tied to minus, “less,” so the word began with the idea of being “the lesser one.”
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mei-
“to lessen, diminish”
Latin
Latin
minus
“less, smaller”
Latin
Latin
minister
“servant, attendant, subordinate”
Old French
Old French
ministre
“servant; church official”
Middle English
English
ministre
“servant, ecclesiastical officer”
Modern English
English
minister
“a high-ranking religious or government official”