ministerial

[min-uh-steer-ee-uhl] Origin

min·is·te·ri·al

[min-uh-steer-ee-uhl]
adjective
1.
pertaining to the ministry of religion, or to a minister or other member of the clergy.
2.
pertaining to a ministry or minister of state.
3.
pertaining to or invested with delegated executive authority.
4.
of ministry or service.
5.
serving as an instrument or means; instrumental.

Origin:
1555–65; < Late Latin ministeriālis, equivalent to Latin ministeri(um) ministry + -ālis -al1

min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
an·ti·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
an·ti·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
in·ter·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
non·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
EXPAND
non·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
pseu·do·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
qua·si-min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
sem·i·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
un·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
un·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
COLLAPSE
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Ministerial has a plethora of syllables.
So is cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine. Does it mean:
a white, crystalline, water-insoluble, powerful high explosive, C3H6N6O6, used chiefly in bombs and shells.
an obscure term ostensibly referring to a lung disease caused by silica dust, sometimes cited as one of the longest words in the English language.
Collins
World English Dictionary
ministerial (ˌmɪnɪˈstɪərɪəl)
 
adj
1.  of or relating to a minister of religion or his office
2.  of or relating to a government minister or ministry: a ministerial act
3.  (often capital) of or supporting the ministry or government against the opposition
4.  law relating to or possessing delegated executive authority
5.  law (of an office, duty, etc) requiring the following of instructions, without power to exercise any personal discretion in doing so
6.  acting as an agent or cause; instrumental
 
minis'terially
 
adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ministerial
1560s, of religion; 1650s, of state; in some uses from Fr. ministériel, from M.L. ministerialis, from L. ministerium (see ministry); in some cases probably directly from minister or ministry.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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