Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

minister

/ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.04 in modern English

Syllables
min-is-ter
IPA
/ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/
10
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.

noun

A person (either a layperson or an ordained clergy member) who is commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Catholic Church.

noun

A politician who heads a ministry

noun

In diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.

noun

A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.

verb

To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.

Intransitive verb

verb

To function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship.

Intransitive verb

verb

To afford, to give, to supply.

Archaic; Transitive verb

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister (“an attendant, servant, assistant, a priest's assistant or other under official”), from minor (“less”) + -ter; see minor. Doublet of Minorite.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/
  • British English: /ˈmɪn.ɪs.tə/

Usage

Subject

Wiktionary places this term in Religion.

Inflected Forms

ministers (plural) ministers (present, singular) ministering (participle, present) ministered (participle, past) ministered (past)

Derived Forms

ministerer ministerless ministerlike ministerly ministership ministration ministress subminister superminister underminister unministerlike unministered

Phrases

cabinet minister catechetical minister chief minister crime minister deputy first minister ecclesial minister e-minister Eucharistic minister

Frequently Paired Words

ministerial ministerium ministrix ministry cleric father parson pastor

Synonyms

minister government minister curate minister of religion parson pastor rector diplomatic minister

Rhymes With

administer

Questions

How do you pronounce minister?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/.
What does minister mean?
A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.
Where does minister come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce minister

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “minister”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “minister”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “minister” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.