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''cleric'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260313192153-00-⌔
cleric - Wiktionary, the free dictionary
English
Noun
cleric (plural clerics)
- A member of a clergy.
- ✤ Synonyms: clergymember, clergyperson; see also Thesaurus: cleric
- ✤ Hyponyms: clergyman, clergywoman; (Christian) bishop, cardinal, churchman, curate, deacon, ecclesiastic, minister, parson, pastor, pope, preacher, prelate, presbyter, priest, rector, reverend, vicar; (Jewish) rabbi, (Muslim) imam, caliph, qadi, mufti, mullah, muezzin
- ✤ Holonyms: clergy; see also Thesaurus: clergy
- (roleplaying games) A spellcaster class that receives their spells (especially healing) from their deity.
Adjective
cleric (not comparable)
- (now uncommon) Of or pertaining to the clergy.
- ✤ Synonyms: black-collar, clerical; see also Thesaurus: clerical
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin clēricus, from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós), from κλῆρος (klêros, “a casting lots, drawing lots”). Many officers at Athens obtained their offices by lot, as opposed to election (Liddell and Scott). Doublet of clerk.
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation, General American, Canada) IPA: /ˈklɛɹɪk/
- Audio (Southern England): 🔊
- (Australian) IPA: /ˈkleɹɪk/
- (New Zealand) IPA: /ˈkleɹək/
- Rhymes: -ɛɹɪk
Printed 2026-06-28.
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