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clergy

 - 3 dictionary results

cler⋅gy

  [klur-jee]
Use clergy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -gies.
the group or body of ordained persons in a religion, as distinguished from the laity.
Origin:
1175–1225; ME clerge, clergie < OF clergé (< LL clericātus office of a priest; see cleric, -ate 3 ), clergie, equiv. to clerc cleric + -ie -y 3 , with -g- after clergé

Related forms:
cler⋅gy⋅like, adjective

Usage note:
See collective noun.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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cler·gy   (klûr'jē)   
n.   pl. cler·gies
The body of people ordained for religious service. See Usage Note at collective noun.

[Middle English clergie, from Old French (from Vulgar Latin *clercīa, from Late Latin clēricus; see clerk) and from Old French clergié, body of clerks (from Vulgar Latin *clercātus, from Late Latin clēricātus, from clēricus, clerk, cleric).]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

clergy

a body of ordained ministers in a Christian church. In the Roman Catholic Church and in the Church of England, the term includes the orders of bishop, priest, and deacon. Until 1972, in the Roman Catholic Church, clergy also included several lower orders

Learn more about clergy with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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