ministern.
/ˈmɪnᵻstə/, U.S. /ˈmɪnəstər/ a. A person acting under the authority of another; one who carries out executive duties as the agent or representative of a superior. Obsolete.Some quots. may be examples of more specific senses.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > delegated authority > one having delegated or derived authority > [noun]
ministerc1300
substitute1391
vicarc1400
vicary?14..
deputyc1425
vicegerent1549
vicarian1598
mandatary1607
mandatar1681
mandatee1774
mandatory1862
c1300 St. Michael (Laud) 65 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 301 Godes ministres aungles beoth.
c1327 Rolls of Parl. (modernized text) II. 430 His writings and other goods, &c., arrested by the King's ministers.
c1380 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 411 Almachius hastily Bad hise ministres fecchen openly Cecile.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 583 Pride..hath with him in special Ministres five ful diverse.
a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) 2535 If þe ministres do naght but iustice To poore peple..thei were euermo The kyng be iust.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 339 (MED) Iosue, the minister of Moyses, rewlede the peple of Israel.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. BBBvi The gostly ennemy, our olde aduersary and all his ministers put to flyght and confusion.
1546 J. Bale First Examinacyon A. Askewe f. 46 That ye shuld honoure your kynge as hys [sc. God's] immedyate mynyster concernynge your bodyes and lyues.
c1595 Countess of Pembroke Psalme ciii. 91 in Coll. Wks. (1998) II. 157 Spirits of might,..You ministers that willing work his will..His praise extoll.
1602 J. Clapham Hist. Eng. 74 The glory..was attributed to the Emperours themselues, (the labour, and perill in attempting, and..enuy after victory) remaining onely, as rewardes to their ministers.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) v. iii. 34 O Warre, thou sonne of hell, Whom angry heauens do make their minister . View more context for this quotation
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 147 The Kings Baily should be but his Minister to distreine for his rent.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 460 His wary speech Thus to th' Empyreal Minister he fram'd. View more context for this quotation
1686 J. Scott Christian Life: Pt. II II. vii. 933 The first and supreme Minister by which Christ rules his Kingdom is the Holy Ghost.
1750 S. Johnson Rambler No. 81. ⁋6 The community, of which the magistrate is only the minister.
b. A servant, an attendant; a person who waits upon or ministers to the wants of another. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > servant > personal or domestic servant > attendant or personal servant > [noun]
thanea700
yeoman1345
squirec1380
foot followera1382
handservanta1382
servitora1382
ministera1384
servera1425
squire of (or for) the body (or household)1450
attender1461
waitera1483
awaiter1495
tender?a1505
waiting-man1518
satellite?1520
attendant1555
sitter-byc1555
pediseque1606
asseclist?1607
tendant1614
assecle1616
fewterera1625
escudero1631
peon1638
wait1652
under spur-leather1685
body servant1689
slavey1819
tindal1859
maid-attendant1896
a1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) Matt. xx. 26 Who euere wole be maad more among ȝou, be he ȝoure mynystre; and who euere amonge ȝou wole be firste, he shal be ȝoure seruaunt.
?c1425 tr. Guy de Chauliac Grande Chirurgie (Paris) (1971) 223 (MED) Be þai þirstede by þe wounde by þe ministre aboute the stalke, and þan the maister schal drawe out þe arwe.
c1480 (a1400) St. Lawrence 121 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 405 Fadyr, quhare gais þu bot minsteris?
a1513 H. Bradshaw Lyfe St. Werburge (1521) i. xvi. sig. f.iv The mynysters were redy, theyr offyce to fulfyll To take vp the tables, at theyr lordes wyll.
1572 Sir T. Smith Let. 18 June in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1827) 2nd Ser. III. 15 Scarcely the ministers cowld have rowme to bring the meate or the drinck to the table.
1598 Chaucers Dreame in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 365/2 With ladies knights and squiers And a great host of ministers With instruments and sounes diuerse.
1611 Bible (King James) 2 Kings vi. 15 When the seruant [margin minister] of the man of God was risen early. View more context for this quotation
1639 J. Woodall Treat. Gangrena in Surgeons Mate (rev. ed.) 406 Let the Surgeon have at hand at the least two or three ministers or servants besides himselfe, to assist him in the worke.
1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall III. xxxi. 206 A multitude of cooks, and inferior ministers, employed in the service of the kitchens.
1818 Ld. Byron Childe Harold: Canto IV clxxvii. 91 Oh! that the Desart were my dwelling place, With one fair Spirit for my minister.
1868 E. FitzGerald tr. Rubáiyát Omar Khayyám (ed. 2) lv. 12 And lose your fingers in the tresses of The Cypress-slender Minister of Wine.
c. An officer entrusted with the administration of the law, or attached to a court of justice. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > one who administers justice > an officer of the court > [noun] > official who executes orders of court
sergeanta1330
ringildie1347
sergeant of (the) peace1357
ministerc1390
pursuivant1503
ringild1507
messenger1732
c1390 G. Chaucer Nun's Priest's Tale 4232 I crye out on the mynystres..That sholden kepe and reulen this citee.
a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 149 Vndurshreuys, or oþer ballyfs or mynysters what-so-euer they be.
1483 in J. T. Gilbert Cal. Anc. Rec. Dublin (1889) I. 303 The clerkys and mynnysters of the courte of Tolsyll.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. v. f. vj Lest..the iudge delivre the to the minister.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 56 Gud mynystrys of justyce are to few.
1687 Procl. Jas. II 25 Nov. We do further Charge and Command..Our Justices of Peace,..and all other Our Officers and Ministers to whom it appertaineth,..that they from time to time Return the Names of all those who shall Wilfully Offend [etc.].
1723 Royal Proclam. in London Gaz. No. 6135/3 Before the next Magistrate or Minister of Justice.
d. A person or officer subordinate to another; an underling. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > holder of office > [noun] > subordinate
minister1442
juniora1530
subminister1558
underhead1599
subalternal?1608
mainpernor1631
sub1653
subaltern1706
under-somethinga1718
underling1796
1442 Rolls of Parl. V. 54 Custumers..have diverse persones to be here Clerkes, Deputees and Ministres in here seide Offices.
1601 Ld. Mountjoy in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) ii. 174 It grieveth me to see her Majesty so ill served in her Musters,..for all the Ministers in that kind, are but ciphers or false numbers.
1602 Ld. Mountjoy in F. Moryson Itinerary (1617) 256 Errours of subordinate Ministers in these matters of accompts and reckonings.
a1661 J. Glanville Voy. Cadiz (1883) 29 The Captaine is to give them [sc. his superior's commands] in charge to all other officers and ministers in the shipp.
2. Ecclesiastical and related senses. † e. An assistant to or subordinate of a priest, bishop, etc. Obsolete.
a. A person holding authority by virtue of his rank within a Christian religious order or similar organization; esp. (a) one of a body of Franciscan friars with supervisory duties within the order; (b) the second in command of a Jesuit house. Also with defining adjective (now only as postmodifier), as minister general, minister provincial. Now chiefly Roman Catholic Church.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious superior > [noun]
ministerc1300
general1560
superior general1775
mandriarch1871
society > faith > church government > monasticism > religious superior > [noun] > Jesuit > assistant
adjutant general1667
assistant1679
minister1728
c1300 St. Francis (Laud) 462 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 67 (MED) Frere Austyn, þat was ministre under him i-do..To þe Ioye of heouene wende with is maister, seint Fraunceis.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. vi. 91 (MED) It semeth nouht parfytnesse in cytees for to begge, Bote he be obediencer to pryour oþer to mynstre [v.r. mynystre].
a1402 J. Trevisa tr. R. Fitzralph Defensio Curatorum (Harl.) (1925) 67 (MED) No frere schuld be hardy..to preche to þe peple, but he be examyned & appreued of þe mynistre general.
?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 43 Be alle freris holden to haue euermore on of þe freris of þis religion a general mynystre... Whanne he dieþ, þe chesynge of his successour be maad of mynistris prouincial & custodis in þe chapitre of witsontide.
1450 Rolls of Parl. V. 195/2 Nicholas, nowe Maistir or Minister of the ordre of Seynt Gilbert of Sempyngham.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) ii. l. 289 Thomas Rimour in-to the Faile [sc. monastery] was than With the mynystir, quhilk was a worthi man.
1543 in D. H. Fleming Registrum Secreti Sigilli Regum Scotorum (1936) III. 38 Freir Robert Cunynghame, minister of Faile and provinciale of the haile Trinite Ordour.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. (at cited word) Minister is also the Title which certain Religious Orders give to their Superior. In this sense we say, the Minister of the Mathurins, or..Trinitarians. Minister, among the Jesuits, is the second Superior..of each house. The General of the Cordeliers Order is also called the Minister General.
1843 A. Dyce in J. Skelton Poet. Wks. I. Introd. 37 Robert Gaguin was minister-general of the Maturines.
1884 W. E. Addis & T. Arnold Catholic Dict. 629/1 Minister, among the Franciscans and Capuchins the head of the order is the minister-general.
1911 Catholic Encycl. X. 326/2 In the Society of Jesus the second in command in each house, who is usually charged with the internal discipline, the commissariat, etc., is called minister.
1929 E. C. Messenger tr. J. Guiraud Mediæval Inquisition v. 143 In 1247, a friar with Joachimist tendencies, John of Parma was elected minister general of the Order.
1994 Church Times 25 Nov. 3/1 A..report..claiming that ‘up to a quarter’ of Anglican Franciscans in Britain were considering becoming Roman Catholics has been dismissed by the order's Minister Provincial.
b. A person appointed to perform a liturgical duty or other service in the Christian church; a deacon, acolyte, etc.Apparently Obsolete or rare between the 17th and 19th centuries.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > deacon > [noun]
deaconc900
ministerc1300
Levite1393
diacre1523
gospellera1529
kirkmaster1573
bead-master1579
reliever1582
c1300 St. Mary Magdalen (Laud) 629 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 480 (MED) Huy cleopeden alle þe preostes and þe clerkus euerech-on, And alle þe oþur ministres.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 55 Ȝef her nys suiche mynystre non, Þys temple stent euere.
a1449 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) ii. 78 Sr Lewis Walssheman John Panton and meny other minesters of the saide churche.
1482 Rolls of Parl. VI. 209/2 The noumbre of ministres daily servyng Almyghty God in the seid Chapell.
1501 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 89 I beqwethe to the vicars and to the chawntery prestys..to eche of them vj. d. and to mynysters and queresteres after the rate.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Svpper of the Lorde f. cxxixv Then shall thys generall Confession bee made, in the name of al those that are minded to receiue the holy Communion, eyther by one of them, or els by one of the ministers, or by the Prieste hymselfe.
1877 F. G. Lee Gloss. Liturg. & Eccl. Terms 213 Minister, one who serves at the Christian altar; i.e. an acolyte, a mass-boy, a deacon or subdeacon, an epistoler or a gospeller.
1980 Order for Holy Communion, Rite A in Alternative Service Bk. 118 When there is no communion, the minister reads the service as far as the Absolution (section 28), and then adds the Lord's Prayer [etc.]. When such a service is led by a deacon or lay person, ‘us’ is said instead of ‘you’ in the Absolution.
1994 tr. Catechism of Catholic Church §903 Lay people..can be admitted permanently to the ministries of lector and acolyte. When..ministers are lacking, lay persons, even if they are not lectors or acolytes, can also supply for certain of their offices.
c. gen. A member of the clergy; an ordained pastor.Until the mid 16th cent. used principally in phrases such as minister of the church (originally †minister of holy church), minister of the gospel, minister of the word (also minister of God's word), and the scriptural phrases minister of God, minister of Jesus Christ, minister of the sanctuary. Later (after the example of foreign Protestant, esp. Calvinistic, use) also employed on its own, often in deliberate preference to priest, to imply that officiating at the commemoration of the Lord's Supper did not constitute the offering of a sacrifice. So, although priest and minister are used interchangeably in some passages of the 1549 Bk. Common Prayer and its 1552 and 1662 revisions, by the 19th cent. the use of minister as the designation of an Anglican clergyman came to be increasingly associated with Low Church views. The term has also become standard for referring to the clergy of Protestant churches, and from the 19th cent. onwards is frequently used with a preceding word specifying a denomination. In formal contexts, and sometimes for emphasis, the phrase minister of religion is used of a member of the clergy of any denomination.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > [noun]
God's maneOE
priestOE
clerkc1050
secularc1290
vicary1303
minister1340
divinec1380
man of Godc1384
kirkmana1400
man of the churchc1400
cockc1405
Ecclesiastc1405
spiritual1441
ministrator1450
abbé1530
reverend1547
churchman1549
tippet-captain?1550
tippet knight1551
tippet man1551
public minister1564
reading minister1572
clergyman1577
clerk1577
padre1584
minstrel1586
spiritual1600
cleric1623
cassock1628
Levite1640
gownsman1641
teaching elder1642
ecclesiastic1651
religionist1651
crape1682
crape-gown-man1682
man in black1692
soul driver1699
secularist1716
autem jet1737
liturge1737
officiant1740
snub-devil1785
soul doctor1785
officiator1801
umfundisi1825
crape-man1826
clerical1837
God-man1842
Pfarrer1844
liturgist1848
white-choker1851
rook1859
shovel hat1859
sky pilot1865
ecclesiastical1883
joss-pidgin-man1886
josser1887
sin-shiftera1912
sin-buster1931
parch1944
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 236 (MED) Þe gerdel huermide þe ministres of holy cherche ssolle ham gerde ope þe lenden is chastete.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 237 (MED) Þe kueadnesse of þe ministre ne apayreþ naȝt þe sacrement ne þe guodnesse.
c1400 Bk. to Mother (Bodl.) 101 (MED) He wol seie to his seruantis, þat ben ministres of Holi Chirche.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) 3684 (MED) He es Goddes minister and haly kirkes, Þat þe sacrament of þe auter wirkes.
1485 W. Caxton tr. Thystorye & Lyf Charles the Grete sig. kiij/2 The bysshop wyth other mynystres of the chyrche dyd halowe the fonte.
a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) f. 226 This power of byndyng & losynge of synne, is deriuyed from the apostles to ye mynystres of Christes chirche.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Matrimonie f. xiiii*v Then shal the prieste ioyne theyr ryght handes together... Then shall the minister speake vnto the people.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. O5v Suche [names] as at anie hande a Minister of the Gospell ought not to bee called by.
1583 in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) III. xvi. 183 The painful pastors and ministers of the Word..are condemned,..Some for leaving the Holidays unbidden.
1590 Articles against Cartwright in T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. (1655) ix. 199 The manner of Ordination of Bishops, Ministers and Deacons.
1616 B. Jonson Epicœne ii. v, in Wks. I. 550 Get me a minister presently, with a soft, low voice to marry vs. View more context for this quotation
1641 J. Trapp Theologia Theol. 253 A Minister, if any man, had need to bee godly.
1655 W. Gouge & T. Gouge Learned Comm. Hebrewes (ii. 18) i. 255 It is expedient that Ministers of Gods Word be men of like passions with others.
1698 J. Collier Short View Immorality Eng. Stage 137 To make the Ministers of Religion less upon the score of their Function, would be a Penalty on the Gospel.
1704 R. Nelson Compan. Festivals & Fasts ii. iii. 380 Bishops..only have Authority to send Ministers into the Lord's Vineyard.
1726 J. Ayliffe Parergon Juris Canonici Anglicani 71 Tho' the word Minister sometimes denotes an Office, as that of a Priest or Deacon; and sometimes it is put for a Rector of a Parish.
1747 N. Hobart (title) Ministers of the Gospel considered as fellow-labourers. A sermon delivered [etc.].
1776 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall I. xvi. 560 The..favour of Philip towards the sectaries of the new religion, and his constant reverence for the ministers of the church.
1814 Proc. Church Missionary Soc. 4 338 The minister of the Gospel ought not to be left alone among a heathen people.
1837 J. G. Lockhart Mem. Life Scott (1839) vii. 48/1 Macdonald..then officiated as minister to a small congregation of Episcopalian nonconformists.
1867 ‘G. Eliot’ in J. W. Cross George Eliot's Life III. 5 Renan's appearance is something between the Catholic priest and the dissenting minister.
1897 E. L. Voynich Gadfly iii. iii. 385 ‘I am a minister of religion,’ he said; ‘not a police-spy.’
1903 Cambr. Mod. Hist. II. xvi. 594 A call for ‘parity’, for an equality among all the ministers of God's Word.
1912 A. Deacon (title) Memoir of Abraham Deacon, about sixty years minister of the gospel.
1969 Daily Tel. 28 Oct. 16 An African Presbyterian Minister was killed by a panga gang for refusing to take Kikuyu tribal oaths.
1983 M. Mackie Exploring Gender Relations vii. 171/2 A female United Church minister said..‘It was just clear that I was some kind of assistant rather than a full minister.’
d. An official of a non-Christian religion; (now) esp. the spiritual leader of a Jewish congregation.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > other clergy > [noun] > non-Christian functionary
ministerc1384
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke iv. 20 He entride..in to the synagoge..And the book of Ysaie..was takun to him..And whanne he hadde closid the book, he ȝaf aȝein to the mynystre, and sat.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 87 (MED) Þe mynisters þat kepez þat ilk mawmet.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 153 Þe prestez and ministres of ydoles er obedient to him.
a1464 J. Capgrave Abbreuiacion of Cron. (Cambr. Gg.4.12) (1983) 31 Samuel first was mad a ministir of þe same tabernacle.
1582 N. Lichefield tr. F. L. de Castanheda 1st Bk. Hist. Discouerie E. Indias i. vii. 18 A white Moore which was a Minister of the Moores of Mousambicke.
1687 A. Lovell tr. J. de Thévenot Trav. into Levant ii. 164 One of their Ministers goes along with the Man that carries the Child; and when they are come to the River-side the Minister says these words [etc.].
1770 J. Langhorne & W. Langhorne tr. Plutarch Lives I. 362 The priests and ministers of the gods.
1792 N.-Y. Directory 119 Seixes, the Rev. Gresham, minister of the Jewish congregation, 7, Broad-street.
1892 I. Zangwill Children of Ghetto i. vii The minister refused to blow the Shofar three minutes too early.
1985 L. Blue Kitchen Blues 7 When I became a [Jewish] minister I was very zealous and determined to visit everybody.
2000 Daily News (N.Y.) (Nexis) 1 July 22 The organization [was] launched 119 years ago by six rabbis as the New York Board of Jewish Ministers.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > curate > [noun]
minister1408
curate1557
1408–17 in H. Littlehales Medieval Rec. London City Church (1905) p. xcvi A tent withowt the west ende of the church yerd..in whiche the Busshop and his mynysters shall be rayed.
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 330 (MED) To ordeyne seruauntis and mynistris to preestis in þi seruice, as ben dekenys.
a1500 (c1400) St. Erkenwald (1977) 131 (MED) Manerly with his ministres þe masse he begynnes.
1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. lxxxv The byshoppes ministers are wont to marke mens foreheades with Asshes.
1624 Will in J. T. Fowler Acts Church SS. Peter & Wilfrid, Ripon (1875) 364 I give unto Mr. Thompson, my minister at Dighton, 40s. To Mr. Beilbe, now vicar of Pately Bridge, which was my minister at Dightonn, one whole suite of my workeday apparell.
1660 R. Coke Elements Power & Subjection 183 in Justice Vindicated Let the Minister of the Bishop and his Clerks come thither.
f. Christian Church. A person who administers a sacrament.Apparently revived in the 20th cent.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > [noun] > administering > one who administers
ministera1425
administrator1563
administer1607
administrant1814
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1869) I. 18 Jesus Crist..bad hise disciplis serve þe puple at þe mete, to teche us þat we ben mynystris and not autouris of miracle.
c1450 (a1400) Orologium Sapientiæ in Anglia (1888) 10 366 (MED) In my laste soper I ȝaf my-selfe to my disciples in sacramente, and to hem and alle oþere mynistirs of this sacrafyce.
1969 P. Fransen in K. Rahner Sacramentum Mundi IV. 319/2 The ordinary minister of ordination is the bishop.
1994 tr. Catechism of Catholic Church §1313 In the Latin Rite, the ordinary minister of Confirmation is the bishop.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means
keyOE
toolc1000
wherewithc1230
ministerc1380
meanc1390
instrumenta1425
organ?a1425
mesne1447
moyen1449
handlec1450
hackneya1500
receipta1500
operative1526
ingine1531
appliance1555
agent1579
matter1580
mids1581
wedge1581
wherewithal1583
shoeing-horn1587
engine1589
instrumental1598
Roaring Meg1598
procurement1601
organy1605
vehicle1615
vehiculuma1617
executioner1646
facility1652
operatory1660
instrumentality1663
expedient1665
agency1684
bladea1713
mechanic1924
mechanism1924
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > use (made of things) > instrumentality > [noun] > (a) means > person as
ministerc1380
instrument1395
engine1548
shoeing-horn?1602
implement1629
shoehorn1630
c1380 G. Chaucer Second Nun's Tale 485 Thy prynces han the maked Ministre of deeth.
c1395 G. Chaucer Canon's Yeoman's Tale 1300 Al to symple is my tonge to pronounce, As ministre of my wit, the doublenesse Of this chanon.
1580 J. Lyly Euphues & his Eng. (new ed.) f. 68 Philautus determined, hab, nab, to send his letters..: and..he thus began to frame the minister of his loue.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) iii. i. 355 For a minister of my intent, I haue seduc'd a head-strong Kentishman. View more context for this quotation
1720 J. Ozell et al. tr. R. A. de Vertot Hist. Revol. Rom. Republic II. xii. 215 Catiline..had been the Minister of the Cruelties of Sylla.
1722 W. Wollaston Relig. of Nature ix. 186 Why doth the scene of thinking lie in our heads, and all the ministers of sensation make their reports to something there.
1785 W. Cowper Task v. 816 Those fair ministers of light to man That fill the skies.
1850 N. Hawthorne Scarlet Let. xvii. 232 All of God's gifts that were the choicest have become the ministers of spiritual torment.
1866 H. P. Liddon Bampton Lect. (1875) vi. 321 The Angels are ministers of the Divine Will.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [noun] > management or disposal of estate > one who
executorc1280
secutora1300
minister1405
administrator1434
executor dative1526
ministrator1559
personal representative1796
1405 in H. M. Flasdieck Mittelengl. Originalurkunden (1926) 38 (MED) Þe mynisters of the forsaid sir Roger and of his heirs, at here will, shul haue the thynges so preised.
1433 Rolls of Parl. IV. 472/1 That he be not..greved by the Kyng, nor his heirs, nor his Ministres in tyme to come.
1463 in F. W. Weaver Somerset Medieval Wills (1901) 197 (MED) My trieu executors, feoffees, and ministers, as they wille answere afore God.
1546 Will of R. Threlkeld in Trans. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archæol. Soc. (1889) 10 26 I gif to Godfray muncastor j quy by the Discrecon of my mynistor.
c1650 ( in J. P. Earwaker Local Gleanings Lancs. & Cheshire (1879) I. 147 Ye said Hugh of Pemberton..was executour and minister of the goodes & catell of the said Roger.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > healer > physician > [noun]
physician?c1225
leecherc1374
practiserc1387
doctora1400
flesh-leecha1400
leechman14..
mediciner?a1425
miria1425
M.D.1425
medicine?c1450
practitioner?1543
minister1559
doc1563
artist1565
medicus1570
medicianera1578
Aesculapius1586
Dra1593
pisspot1592
medician1597
physicianer1598
medicinary1599
pisspot1600
velvet-cap1602
healer1611
Galena1616
physiner1616
clyster1621
clyster-pipe1622
hakim1623
medic1625
practicant1630
medico1647
physicker1649
physicster1689
Aesculapian1694
nim-gimmer1699
pill-monger1706
medical man1784
meester1812
medical1823
pill-gilder1824
therapeutist1830
pill1835
pill roller1843
med1851
pill-peddler1855
therapeutic1858
squirt1859
medicine man1866
pill pusher1879
therapist1886
doser1888
internist1894
pill-shooter1911
whitecoat1911
quack1919
vet1925
1559 P. Morwyng tr. C. Gesner Treasure of Euonymus To Rdr. sig.✠ii Without any great profit to the pacient, or worship to ye minister, because their medicines are negligently prepared.
1580 J. Hester tr. L. Fioravanti Short Disc. Chirurg. Ciiiv I say that the minister hath three operations to do.
6. A high officer of state.
a. Frequently in form Minister. A person appointed to act for a head of state, etc., in a particular government department; a person in charge of a government department; a Secretary of State. Now widely used of prominent members of a government whether or not they have charge of a public department. Also in plural, often without article: members of the government collectively.Frequently with modifying word, either preceding (as colonial minister, defence minister, health minister, prime minister, etc.), or after of, for, or another preposition (as †minister of the marine, minister for (also of) foreign affairs, etc.): examples not covered elsewhere are included here. Minister without Portfolio: see Minister without Portfolio at portfolio n. Phrases a.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > office > holder of office > high officials of state > [noun]
minister1589
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > government minister > [noun]
minister1589
state secretary1660
man from the ministry1963
1589 G. Puttenham Arte Eng. Poesie iii. iv. 122 Politien is rather a surueyour of ciuilitie than ciuil, & a publique minister or Counseller in the state.
1625 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 48 This publique Enuy, seemeth to beat chiefly, vpon principall Officers, or Ministers, rather then vpon Kings & Estates themselues.
1678 C. Cotterell & W. Aylesbury tr. E. C. Davila Hist. Civil Wars France (ed. 2) i. 33 This kind of proceeding held the King and all his Ministers in great dispense.
1745 Ld. Hardwicke in G. Harris Life (1847) II. 109 Chancellor. Your Ministers, sir, are only your instruments of government. King—(smiles)—Ministers are the King, in this country.
1795 A. Seward Lett. (1811) IV. 140 I blame ministers for such an evident waste of English blood and treasure.
1795 Argus Dec. 26 Letter from the Minister for Foreign Affairs to Citizen Miot.
1806 T. Jefferson Let. 22 Mar. in Writings (1903) XI. 95 That there is only one minister who is not opposed to me, is totally unfounded.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 272 Well, Brogson, what do Ministers mean to do? Will they go out, or what?
1838 C. C. F. Greville Mem. (1885) I. 87 In the first place the Colonial Minister should have made some arrangement [etc.].
1867 Crown Princess of Prussia Let. 27 Apr. in Your Dear Letter (1971) 133 The King wishes for peace, so does Fritz, so does the Minister for War.
1877 D. M. Wallace Russia (ed. 2) I. 315 The Procureur..is directly subordinated to the Minister of Justice.
1935 C. R. Attlee in Hansard Commons 5th Ser. 302 382 I am glad to hear that the Government are thinking of the question of having a Defence Minister.
1940 J. F. Kennedy Why Eng. Slept iv. 72 Attlee, then Parliamentary leader of the Labour Party and the present Minister of Labour under Churchill, explained their stand.
1978 Toronto Star 26 Aug. a6/6 The heritage language program was announced by Education Minister Tom Wells in June, 1977.
1998 Community Care 30 Apr. 7/3 Junior health minister Paul Boateng contined his assault against social workers' ‘politically correct’ adoption practice.
b. British. In noun phrases with specific meaning in official contexts:
(a) Minister of State n. a minister in the British government, (now) esp. one holding a rank below that of a head of department.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > government minister > [noun] > minister in British government > types of
first secretary1562
Secretary of State1589
Minister of State1595
Minister without Portfolio1831
1595 in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. ix. 173 What ministers of state and subalternat governors, as counsaile and magistrats.
1623 Ld. Herbert Let. 31 Oct. in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 164 I will come from the ordinarie voice to the selecter judgement of the Ministers of State and more intelligent people in this Kingdome.
1735 J. Swift Author upon Himself in Wks. II. 345 A certain Doctor is observ'd of late, To haunt a certain Minister of State.
1735 Visct. Bolingbroke Diss. upon Parties (ed. 2) Ded. p. xxv But This will not become a Matter of State, though you are a Minister of State.
1816 Edinb. Rev. June 435 A minister of state suddenly changed sides..and the ratting..become general.
1864 Ld. Salisbury in Q. Rev. 116 253 Ministers of State are case-hardened by practice.
1957 Act 5 & 6 Eliz. II c. 20 §13 ‘Minister of State’ means a member of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom..who neither has charge of any public department nor holds any other of the offices specified in the Second Schedule to this Act.
1970 J. Harvey How Brit. is Governed xii. 147 In departments where the work is particularly heavy, the present-day practice is to appoint Ministers of State who virtually act on behalf of the minister.
(b) Minister of the Crown n. a minister or the head of a department in the British government.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > ruler or governor > a or the government > government minister > [noun] > minister in British government
Minister of the Crown1768
1679 E. Everard Disc. Protestant Princes 9 If France had not..been assured by his managery and tampering with some corrupt Ministers of that Crown, that [etc.].]
1768 Pennsylvania Gaz. 18 Feb. 1/3 The minister of the crown in the house, if he is a distinct person, may not chuse, even where his sentiments are favorable to us, to come to a pitched battle upon our account.
1774 Considerations Legislative Authority Brit. Parl. 10 It was owing to the wisdom and integrity of two virtuous Ministers of the Crown that the Commons of England were not reduced to a state of slavery and wretchedness.
1844 T. E. May Law of Parl. xvii. 262 Another form of communication from the Crown to either house of Parliament, is in the nature of a verbal message, delivered, by command, by a minister of the Crown to the house of which he is a member.
1892 W. R. Anson Law & Custom of Constit. II. i. ii. §2. 10 The present dependence of the Ministers of the Crown, for their existence as a Ministry, upon the maintenance of a majority in the House of Commons.
1946 Act 9 & 10 Geo. VI c. 31 §8 (2) ‘Minister of the Crown’ means the holder of an office in His Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, and includes the Treasury, the Admiralty, the Board of Trade, the Army Council, and the Air Council.
1956 L. A. Abraham & S. C. Hawtrey Parl. Dict. 113 Ministers of the Crown... In its widest sense..it means any member of the Government, of whatever rank (this does not, of course, include parliamentary private secretaries, who have no official status at all).
1991 Statute Law Rev. Autumn 124 After the statement and question period, a Minister of the Crown may move an amendable motion, which is debated.
c. A diplomatic agent accredited by one sovereign state to another, esp. (more fully minister plenipotentiary) one ranking below an ambassador but having plenipotentiary status. Now also: a diplomat serving in an embassy immediately under the ambassador. minister resident n. a diplomatic agent resident in the foreign state to which he or she is accredited, and ranking below a minister plenipotentiary.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > politics > international politics or relations > diplomacy > [noun] > ambassador or envoy
sand1038
sandesman1123
sanderbodec1200
erendes-manc1275
sand-manc1275
legatec1350
embassadora1398
ambassador1417
bassatourc1450
orator1474
messenger1535
vakeel1622
public minister1624
minister1647
envoy1666
wakeel1803
missionary1821
elchee1824
ambassador-at-large1868
1647 J. Howell New Vol. of Lett. 111 I here the peace twixt Spain and Holland is absolutely concluded by the plenipotentiary Ministers at Munster.
1709 London Gaz. No. 4547/1 He received the compliments of the Foreign Ministers residing here.
1711 J. Swift Jrnl. to Stella 5 Dec. (1948) II. 430 The elector of Hanover's minister here has given in a violent memorial against the Peace.
1783 G. G. Beekman Let. 18 Aug. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) III. 991 The Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States at the Court of Madrid.
1794 Pennsylvania Gaz. 5 Mar. 3/2 Col Humphreys, our Minister resident at Lisbon, is now here.
1803 T. Jefferson Let. 13 Jan. in Writings (1984) 1112 The outfit given to ministers resident to enable them to furnish their house,..they gave to their extraordinary missionaries by wholesale.
1860 Earl of Malmesbury Mem. Ex-Minister (1884) II. 234 In consequence of this violent act of invading Romagna, Louis Napoleon has recalled his Minister from Turin.
1872 ‘M. Twain’ Roughing It lxvii. 488 Then there are their Excellencies the Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of the French; her British Majesty's Minister [etc.].
1917 E. Satow Guide to Diplomatic Pract. I. xiv. 193 The generally existing diplomatic practice to ask, previously to any nomination of a foreign minister, the consent (agrément) of the Government to which he is to be accredited.
1986 Dict. National Biogr. 1971–80 at Bullard, Sir Reader William He..was moved to Tehran, first as minister and from 1943 as ambassador to Persia.
1990 Summary of World Broadcasts Pt. 4: Middle East, Afr. & Latin Amer. (B.B.C.) (Nexis) 10 Apr. ME/0735/B/1 [In 1985] the Military Committee also promoted to the rank of colonel Lt-Col Sory Doumbuya, minister resident of Moyenne Guinee (middle Guinea region).
2000 Mail on Sunday (Electronic ed.) 27 Feb. Ricky..was for a time Consul-General and Minister Plenipotentiary for the Mediterranean tax haven of San Marino.
7. In the names of animals.
a. Ichthyology U.S. The brown bullhead, Ictalurus nebulosus (family Ictaluridae).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > fish > class Osteichthyes or Teleostomi > order Siluriformes (catfish) > [noun] > member of family Ictaluridae
bullhead1674
horn-pout1798
horned pout1837
minister1839
channel cat1847
flannel-mouth1882
stone-cat1882
madtom1896
1839 D. H. Storer in D. H. Storer & W. B. O. Peabody Rep. Fishes, Reptiles & Birds Mass. 102 The Horned Pout..is known in the interior of the state by the vulgar names of ‘Horn pout’, and ‘Minister’.
1849 H. D. Thoreau Week Concord & Merrimack Rivers 34 The Horned Pout..[is] sometimes called Minister, from the peculiar squeaking noise it makes.
1884 D. S. Jordan in G. B. Goode et al. Fisheries U.S.: Sect. I 628 The common ‘Horned Pout’, ‘Bullhead’, ‘Bull-pout’, or ‘Minister’ of the Northern and Eastern States is the most generally abundant and familiar representative of this family [sc. Siluridae].
1949 L. S. Caine N. Amer. Fresh Water Sport Fish x. 148 Brown bullhead..Minister.
b. U.S. regional (New England) and Canadian. More fully minister gull. The great black-backed gull, Larus marinus. Also: the glaucous gull, L. hyperboreus.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > birds > order Charadriiformes > family Laridae (gulls and terns) > [noun] > member of genus Larus (gull) > larus marinus (blackback)
swartbacka1525
gull-mawc1550
cob1574
blackback1676
wagel1676
saddleback1770
blackback gull1783
swabie1821
parson gull1849
minister1925
1925 E. H. Forbush Birds of Mass. I. 69 Great Black-backed Gull..Minister.
1956 Bull. Mass. Audubon Soc. 40 22 Glaucous Gull..Minister.
1959 W. L. McAtee Folk-names Canad. Birds (ed. 2) 35 Glaucous Gull..Minister gull (the ‘black minister’, or great black-backed gull, is so named from its black mantle and white vest).
1965 E. Richardson Living Island 129 They [sc. great black-backed gulls] were locally known as ‘minister’ gulls, and I was soberly assured they were to be seen only on Sundays!
Compounds
minister's face n. slang and regional (U.S.) a pig's head that has been boiled or roasted, with the eyes and lower part removed.
ΚΠ
1855 C. G. Parsons Inside View Slavery 82 The upper part of a pig's head—‘the minister's face’—was on the table.
1872 W. H. Thomes Slaver's Adventures Land & Sea 155 I'll give up eating old hoss and minister's faces.
1952 F. C. Brown Coll. N. Carolina Folklore I. 565 Minister's-face, a hog's head.
minister's head n. slang and regional (U.S.) = minister's face n.
ΚΠ
1931 G. Irwin Amer. Tramp & Underworld Slang 129 Minister's head, boiled pig's head.
minister's man n. Scottish (now rare) a man employed by a parish minister, often holding various offices connected with the church and parish.
ΚΠ
1837 Chambers's Jrnl. 24 June 175 The minister's man is an important functionary in the Scottish parochial judicature.
1929 J. B. Philip Weelum o' Manse 5 The figure getting the grounds ready for Sunday was that of Weelum, the Minister's man.
minister's permit n. Canadian a special permit issued by the office of the Immigration Minister, allowing a person not otherwise eligible to do so to enter Canada and remain there for up to three years.
ΚΠ
1974 Globe & Mail (Toronto) 28 Dec. 10/1 [The applicant], who came to Canada..after he was deported from the Phillipines, had been granted a minister's permit for a three-week stay in Canada.
2000 Toronto Star (Electronic ed.) 18 May In 1997..he was given a minister's permit to stay here with his family on humanitarian grounds.
ΚΠ
1792 Massachusetts Spy 31 May Their lands are assessed..as follows..viz.—Town Tax 2s. 5d. 2qr. Highway Tax 4d. and 3 qr. Minister Tax 2s. 11d. 1 qr.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
ministerv.
/ˈmɪnᵻstə/, U.S. /ˈmɪnəstər/ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > sacrament > [verb (transitive)] > administer
minister1340
to feel of ——c1475
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 238 (MED) Ine þet hi ministreþ þe sacremens of holy cherche, hy ssolle by þe more holy.
c1400 Lay Folks Mass Bk. (Ashm.) 123 To ministre þis moste worschipeful sacramente.
c1528 Everyman (1961) 742 Thou mynystres all the sacramentes seuen.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Svpper of the Lorde f. xxxv As the priest ministreth the Sacrament of the body, so shal he [sc. the deacon]..minister the Sacrament of the bloud.
1637 Bk. Common Prayer Church of Scotl. Confirmation (rubric) It was ordained that confirmation should be ministred to them that were of perfect age.
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. i. 197 'Tis but two nights ago I thither went To minister the sacrament.
1854 T. Martin tr. A. Oehlenschläger Correggio v. 129 Go in, Maria, To our old friend Silvestro; bid him come, To minister the sacrament to me.
a. transitive. To provide, supply, or impart (usually something necessary or helpful). Obsolete (archaic or literary, with abstract object, in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > supply > provide or supply (something) [verb (transitive)]
affordOE
findOE
purveyc1300
chevise1340
ministera1382
upholda1417
supply1456
suppeditate1535
perfurnishc1540
previse1543
subminister1576
tend1578
fourd1581
instaurate1583
to find out1600
suffice1626
subministrate1633
affurnisha1641
apply1747
to stump up1833
to lay on1845
to come up with1858
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) 3 Kings iv. 7 Salamon forsoþe hadde twelue ouerseearys... þei..mynystreden necessaries.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. 1030 (MED) Averil..of his schoures Ministreth weie unto the floures.
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 23 Þai hafe na moisture bot þat þe forsaid ryuer ministers.
c1429 Mirour Mans Saluacioune (1986) l. 4228 To whame so salutere techinges he mynystres so freely!
?c1450 (?a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 377 Bi occasion of grace of god mynystred to eny creature.
1517 R. Torkington Oldest Diarie Englysshe Trav. (1884) 40 The lyght ys ther mynystred by many lampes.
1533 Princess Mary Let. 27 June in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. II. 30 Ye theryn shulde mynestre unto me veraye acceptable pleasor.
1542 T. Becon Christmas Bankette sig. C.iv The acrimony and tartnes of this dysshe shall so pearse youre stomackes that it shall minister to you an appetyte & lust to deuour ye other ye more gredely.
1602 E. Hayes in J. Brereton Briefe Relation Discouerie Virginia 19 Newfound-land shall minister shipping to carrie away all our commodities, and to bring others vnto vs againe for our supplie.
1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage 90 How great a quantity soeuer [sc. of glassie sand] is by ships carried thence, is supplied by the Winds, which minister new sands.
1653 H. Cogan tr. F. M. Pinto Voy. & Adventures lxxix. 320 We were thus ministring matter for the company to laugh at us.
1745 E. Young Complaint: Night the Eighth 30 Wisdom,..Was meant to minister, and not to mar, Imperial Pleasure.
a1872 F. D. Maurice Friendship Bks. (1874) iii. 83 The wisdom and consolation which it [sc. learning] ministered to the common wayfarer.
b. transitive. To communicate, make known. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > intimation or making known > intimate or make known (something) [verb (transitive)]
speakc825
areadc885
meldeOE
sayOE
yknowa1225
warnc1275
bekena1300
wraya1300
signifyc1325
declarec1340
to speak outc1384
discuss1389
notifyc1390
bida1400
advertise1447
notice1447
detectc1465
render1481
minister1536
to set outa1540
summonc1540
intimate1548
acquaint1609
phrase1614
voice1629
denote1660
unlade1717
apprise1817
aira1902
1536 Act 27 Hen. VIII c. 63 [Deputy's oath] Yf any defaulte ye fynde therin ye shall mynyster and shewe it unto theym.
1564 Canongate Kirk Session 17 Feb. Quhairthrouch I may leirne to minister the ewangell of Jesu Christ.
1573 R. Lever Arte of Reason Forespeache sig. ★.viijv Shee doth minister matter to confirme, and laye foorth a troth: and teacheth a way, howe to disproue, and discouer an errour.
c. transitive. To provide (grounds, opportunity, etc.) for an event, action, etc. Esp. in to minister occasion. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1545 Primer Kynges Maiestie (STC 16034) Injunct. sig. ***.iv For the auoydyng of the dyuersytie of primer bookes that are nowe abroade..whiche minister occasion of contentions.
1564 in A. I. Cameron Warrender Papers (1931) I. 42 Hir Majestie..hes a grite daill mair plesour to be the instrument of the uphald..of the ancient blude then to have mater ministrid of the decay..of ony gude race.
1582 Queen Elizabeth I in J. Bruce Lett. Queen Elizabeth & James VI of Scotl. (1849) 3 That the late accident happenid in your realme doth nowe minester unto us fitt occasion to delyuer unto youe our best advice.
a1634 J. Forbes Certaine Rec. in Apol. Narration Kirk of Scotl. (1846) 458 Whatsoever harme were done to the Church of God..should proceede from no just cause ministred by them.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1683 (1955) IV. 321 I turn'd my head the Contrary way til the Coach was gon past it, least I might minister occasion of speaking of it, which must needes have grieved his Lordship.
1703 F. Manning All for Better ii. 19 This lucky Discovery may minister good occasion, both to satisfie my Love and my Revenge.
d. transitive. To prompt, suggest. Obsolete. rare.In quot. a1616 with object implied.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > information > hint or covert suggestion > hint at or suggest [verb (transitive)]
inkle1340
induce1481
alludec1487
signifya1535
insinuate1561
to glance at (upon, against)1570
thrust1574
imply1581
adumbrate1589
intimate1590
innuate?1611
glancea1616
ministera1616
perstringea1620
shadow1621
subinduce1640
involve1646
equivocate1648
hint1648
subindicate1654
hint at1697
suggest1697
indicate1751
surmise1820
to get at ——1875
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. v. 6 Sometimes you doe blench from this to that As cause doth minister . View more context for this quotation
a. transitive. To guide, direct, or manage (affairs, etc.). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > control > [verb (transitive)] > manage or administer
steerc888
leadc1175
guyc1330
guidec1374
governa1382
ministera1382
treat1387
administer1395
dispose1398
skift?a1400
warda1400
solicit1429
to deal with1469
handlea1470
execute1483
convoy?a1513
conveyc1515
mayne1520
to bear (a person or thing) in (also an, a, on) handa1522
keepa1535
administrate1538
solicitate1547
to dispose of1573
manure1583
carry1600
manage1609
negotiate1619
conduct1632
to carry on1638
mesnage1654
nurse1745
work1841
operate1850
run1857
stage-manage1906
ramrod1920
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Tobit i. 7 In þe þridde ȝeer to þe conuertide fro gentiles & to coomelyngis he mynystrede alle tiþynge.
?a1425 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. iii. met. vi. 3 On allone is fadir of thynges; On allone mynystreth alle thynges.
?c1450 (?a1400) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 391 (MED) Curatis..claymen so ferforþli þes tiþis, þat no man lawfully may wiþ-holde hem or minystre hem save þai.
1492–3 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 10th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Marquis of Ormonde &c. (1885) 323 in Parl. Papers (C. 4576-I) XLII. 1 They that ony maters shall have in courte to be mynstred.
1541 T. Elyot Image of Gouernance xxviii. f. 62 A counsayle, wherby the affaires of the citie..shuld be ruled and minystred.
b. transitive. To execute the duties of (an office). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1516 Wigtown Burgh Court Rec. f. 57 Georg Inglis deyne hais depute vndir him Thom McCullach to minister the office of deynerie for an ȝere.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 284v That he had in suche wyse executed & ministred ye office of a capitaine that [etc.].
4. † b. transitive. To serve (food or drink). Obsolete.In quot. c1429 at sense 2a intransitive with of, in the same sense.
a. intransitive. To serve, perform the function of a servant; to attend to the comfort or needs of another; to assist, be of use; †to wait at table (obsolete). Now usually with to (a person or, esp. more recently, his or her requirements).Also with †for, and (now archaic) unto. In early use (occasionally) transitive: see quots. c1400 and c1475.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > service > serve [verb (intransitive)]
theowtenc1175
serve?a1300
deservec1380
ministera1382
officiate1659
society > morality > duty or obligation > recognition of duty > discharge (an obligation) [verb (transitive)]
pay?c1225
ministera1382
acquitc1460
discharge1542
assoil1596
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) Esther i. 10 King assuere..comaundide..seuene geldingis, þat in his siȝte mynystreden, þat þey shulden bringen in vasthi þe queen.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Luke xxii. 27 I am in the myddis of ȝou, as he that mynistrith.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xix. 97 (MED) Maidenes and marteres ministred hym her in erthe.
a1425 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Royal) (1850) Isa. lx. 10 The kyngis of hem schulen mynystre to thee.
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1869) II. 353 (MED) The peple of Israel ministrede [L. servivit] to Eglon the fatte kynge of Moab.
c1475 Antichrist & Disciples in J. H. Todd Three Treat. J. Wycklyffe (1851) p. cxxiv (MED) He þat mynystriþ me, folowe he me, seiþ Crist.
1509 J. Fisher Mornynge Remembraunce Countesse of Rychemonde (de Worde) sig. Avi In theyr sykenes..mynystrynge vnto them with her owne handes.
1605 B. Jonson Sejanus i A I heare, you are Phisitian to Liuia, the Princess? I I minister vnto her, my good Lord. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Mark x. 45 The Sonne of man came not to bee ministred vnto, but to minister . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 444 Mean while at Table Eve Ministerd naked. View more context for this quotation
1729 W. Law Serious Call v. 69 To assist, protect and minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.
1770 J. Woolman Jrnl. (1971) x. 159 Believing if it was the Lord's will..to raise me up, some sympathizing friends would be sent to minister to me.
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. iv. 131 For these three months, Hath she been ministering at the dying bed.
1867 G. MacDonald Ann. Quiet Neighbourhood II. vi. 184 Add to your kindness this day, by letting my wife and me minister to you.
1891 G. B. Shaw Quintessence of Ibsenism iii. 42 Idealist parrots who persuade themselves that the mission of a parrot is to minister to the happiness of a private family by whistling and saying ‘Pretty Polly’.
1919 H. L. Wilson Ma Pettengill i. 20 With a..hired help to bring him his breakfast in bed and put on another record and minister to his lightest whim.
1958 J. Wain Contenders iv. 75 Business men were robots whose only justification was to minister to the needs of artists.
1993 A. R. Siddons Hill Towns (1994) xi. 289 So Colin went and was ministered unto, and came back..properly cast and medicated, saying the pain was better already.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > serving food > [verb (transitive)]
servec1275
spenda1375
serve1381
to serve forth1381
ministerc1400
messa1425
sewc1440
to serve ina1450
to serve upc1475
asservec1500
dish1587
appose1593
to usher in1613
send1662
to hand round1692
to serve away1709
hand1851
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) 644 (MED) Abraham..Mynystred mete byfore þo men þat myȝtes al weldez.
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 3286 Off that foode..He Gaff to etyn to hem alle Mynystryng yt in-to ther mouth.
a1500 (?a1450) Gesta Romanorum (Harl. 7333) (1879) 322 (MED) Euery day he mynystrid to þe Emperour of drynke.
1662 H. Stubbe Indian Nectar ii. 10 Chocolatte..which they minister in great cups of above a pint.
c. transitive. To care for or attend to (a person). rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > safety > protection or defence > care, protection, or charge > care for, protect, or have charge of [verb (transitive)] > take care of or look after > specifically a person
governa1393
tend1490
minister1908
1908 A. S. M. Hutchinson Once aboard Lugger iv. ii. §1. 211 Mr. Marrapit..abed of a chill, prevented Margaret meeting her Bill that afternoon. Her father must be constantly ministered.
5. intransitive. To serve or officiate at a religious service, etc.; to act as a minister of religion. Now chiefly North American.In quot. a1393 used with reference to non-Christian worship.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > observance, ritual > perform rite(s) [verb (intransitive)]
servec1175
adorec1350
ministera1393
administer1468
exercise1561
ceremonize1633
liturgize1830
ceremonialize1948
society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > [verb (intransitive)] > serve
ministera1393
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. 808 (MED) In hire [sc. Isis'] temple thanne were, To reule and to ministre there..Above alle othre Prestes tuo.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) ii. 80 (MED) Þei ordeynd a couent, to ministre in þat kirke.
c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 11 (MED) If minstris of þe kirke wele not frely minster to hem þat þei frely minster to, not but if mony or oþer þing be ȝeuen to hem.
?c1500 J. Blount tr. N. Upton Essent. Portions De Studio Militari (1931) 35 Prestes that dayly serue god & ministre in his auter.
1521 Bp. Longland Let. 26 June in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 252 I mynystred as my weykenes wold serve, in pontificalibus.
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1202/1 Suche Byshoppes as minister not, but lorde it.
a1699 T. Comber Hist. Liturgies in Compan. Temple (1702) II. 53 While he that ministred repeated this Office, all present were to joyn with him.
1710 H. Prideaux Orig. & Right Tithes ii. 86 Who then Ministred in holy things.
1855 H. H. Milman Hist. Lat. Christianity VI. xiv. vi. 521 The Teutons..were compelled to possess one qualification, the power of ministering in that Latin service.
1870 New Englander July 442 There were some clergymen who..were permitted to ‘gather’ churches..in their parishes or in the ecclesiastical edifices in which they ministered.
1900 New Eng. Mag. July 624/1 The old meeting-house in Market Square, where Rev. John Lowell was then ministering.
1987 I. Radforth Bushworkers & Bosses vi. 109 The few pastors who ministered to the Finns in Ontario preached an other-worldly theology.
1996 Presbyterian Record Feb. 33/2 Submitted by Nora Gorham who, along with Kenrick Keshwah, ministers at Patterson Church, Toronto.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > administration of justice > court proceedings or procedure > [verb (transitive)] > administer (an oath, interrogatory, etc.)
minister1425
1425 Rolls of Parl. IV. 271/1 I ynne his name, shall answer to ye boke last mynystred by ye partie of my Lord Mareschall.
1541 T. Wyatt Defence in K. Muir Life & Lett. (1963) 192 What theye mene by denyinge of this; mynister interrogatories. Lett them have suche xxxviii as were ministrede vnto me.
1562 Act 5 Eliz. c. 1 §5 Every Archebushopp..shall have full power..to tender and minister the Othe.
a1631 J. Donne Serm. (1962) X. 98 Hath he not made thee? is an interrogatory ministred by Moses.
1665 Orders Ld. Mayor London in D. Defoe Jrnl. Plague Year (1722) 46 To minister unto them Oaths for the Performance of their Offices.
7. transitive. To execute or dispense (justice, laws, etc.); †to administer (punishment) (obsolete). Now rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > carrying out > execute, perform, or carry out [verb (transitive)] > execute (justice, vengeance, etc.)
takec1300
dispensea1398
minister1426
administer1443
ministrate1496
execute1530
distributea1616
administrate1649
society > law > administration of justice > [verb (transitive)] > carry into effect
deem1393
execute1413
minister1426
administer1443
1426 in H. Nicolas Proc. & Ordinances Privy Council (1834) III. 183 (MED) Justice & resoun shal duely and indifferently be mynystered unto him in all þinges.
1454 Rolls of Parl. V. 239/2 After the cours of lawe to mynystre justice.
1467–8 Rolls of Parl. V. 622/2 This Londe was full naked and bareyn of Justice, the Peas not kepte, nor Lawes duely mynystred within the same.
a1563 J. Bale King Johan (1969) ii. 1338 Her custome ys to mynyster ponnyshment To kynges and princes beyng dyssobedyent.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1888) I. 169 Justice and æquitie he ministerit amang his awne wt gret commendatione.
1628 E. Coke 1st Pt. Inst. Lawes Eng. 58 a Court is a place where Iustice is iudicially ministred.
1866 A. Trollope Claverings xxxviii. 169/2 If he might be there, looking after his cattle..ministering justice to the Enoch Gubbys and others.
1882 Cent. Mag. May 147/1 What is called a de facto government is simply one which..preserves order, ministers justice, levies and collects taxes throughout a definite extent of territory.
1970 Bk. of Common Prayer: Church Province S. Afr. 234 Grant unto the State President and all that are set in authority over us, that they may truly and impartially minister justice to the removing of wickedness and vice.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > healing > medical treatment > [verb (transitive)] > administer (treatment)
administer?a1425
apply?a1425
ministera1475
adhibit1543
administrate1595
exhibit1601
a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) 1540 Ffor they mynystre ther oynement To boystously.
1484 W. Caxton tr. Subtyl Historyes & Fables Esope x [He] mynistyred alwey his pylles to euery man that came to hym for ony remedy.
1495 Trevisa's Bartholomeus De Proprietatibus Rerum (de Worde) vii. lix. 275 Agaynst the Canker men shall mynistre medycynes whyche brennen and frete the deed flesshe.
1542–3 Act 34 & 35 Hen. VIII c. 8 An Acte that persones being no comen Surgeons maie mynistre medicines owtwarde.
1583 P. Barrough Methode of Phisicke i. v. 6 If the patient be any thing costyue, you may minister this decoction.
a1625 J. Fletcher Monsieur Thomas (1639) iii. i. sig. F1 Such a Physicke May chance to find the humour: be not long Lady For we must minister within this halfe houre.
1680 T. Otway Orphan i. 4 As calmly as the wounded Patient bears The Artist's hand, that Ministers his Cure.
1808 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. III. 64 The application [of belladonna] would be ministered by Mr King's own hand.
9. intransitive. Chiefly literary. Of a thing (material or immaterial): to be of help, comfort, or service to; to be conducive or contribute to.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > advantage > usefulness > be useful [verb (intransitive)]
to stand much in stallc1250
to stand in (little, no, etc.) steadc1390
minister1696
the world > existence and causation > existence > state or condition > tendency > tend or incline [verb (intransitive)] > be conducive or tend to an end
pretend1402
stretchc1412
conduct1481
to conduce to1586
terminate1587
shapea1616
determine1651
minister1696
tend1936
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > types of help > [verb (transitive)] > lend (aid) to bring about a result > lend contributory aid to
servea1398
to contribute to (also for) or to do1605
administer1608
surrogate1681
minister1696
ministrate1887
1696 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth iv. 255 The Waters..were so dispos'd as to minister to his necessities.
1712 G. Smalridge Serm. preach'd at St. James's (octavo ed.) 10 Fasting is not Absolutely..good, but Relatively, and as it ministers to Other Virtues.
1833 E. Bulwer-Lytton Godolphin I. i. 9 I ministered to their amusement.
1850 J. McCosh Method Divine Govt. (ed. 2) ii. i. 140 The useful..ministers to the love of the beautiful.
1900 J. Conrad Lord Jim i. 8 The gale had ministered to a heroism as spurious as its own pretence of terror.
Derivatives
ΚΠ
c1425 Bk. Found. St. Bartholomew's (1923) 31 Plenty of mynystryd grace from God.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2002; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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