clergy

[klur-jee] /ˈklɜr dʒi/
noun, plural clergies.
1.
the group or body of ordained persons in a religion, as distinguished from the laity.
Origin
1175-1225; Middle English clerge, clergie < Old French clergé (< Late Latin clericātus office of a priest; see cleric, -ate3), clergie, equivalent to clerc cleric + -ie -y3, with -g- after clergé
Related forms
clergylike, adjective
anticlergy, adjective
proclergy, adjective
Can be confused
clergy, cleric, imam, minister, pastor, priest, rabbi.
Usage note
See collective noun.
Examples from the web for clergy
  • As he neared graduation he was still noodling over whether to join the clergy, allowing his father to push him slowly closer.
  • The movie has already sparked criticism from archaeologists and clergy alike.
  • The picture which the author draws of the principate and of the clergy is almost without relief in its blackness.
  • Among the clergy, there was much ignorance, servility and pragmatism.
  • As the protests continued, the ruling clergy said there would be a partial recount.
  • The notion that biological substances could arise from a purely natural process made scientists cheer and gave the clergy chills.
  • He introduced military service for some clerics and banned all but the senior clergy from wearing the traditional gown and turban.
  • In many movies, piety is for wimps, and the clergy are depicted as oafs and predators.
  • But its membership remains overwhelmingly white, as do its clergy and its seminarians.
  • If you are a member of the clergy, you are treated as self-employed for self-employment tax purposes.
British Dictionary definitions for clergy

clergy

/ˈklɜːdʒɪ/
noun (pl) -gies
1.
the collective body of men and women ordained as religious ministers, esp of the Christian Church related adjectives clerical pastoral
Word Origin
C13: from Old French clergie, from clerc ecclesiastic, clerk
Word Origin and History for clergy
n.

c.1200, clergie "office or dignity of a clergyman," from two Old French words: 1. clergié "clerics, learned men," from Medieval Latin clericatus, from Late Latin clericus (see clerk); 2. clergie "learning, knowledge, erudition," from clerc, also from Late Latin clericus. Meaning "persons ordained for religious work" is from c.1300.

Encyclopedia Article for 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

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