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ministry

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ministry
ministry W2 AC /ˈmɪnəstri, ˈmɪnɪstri/ noun (plural ministries)
 Word Family: noun: ministry, minister; adjective: ministerial
 Date: 1300-1400
 Language: Latin
 Origin: ministerium, from minister; minister1
1. [countable] a government department that is responsible for one of the areas of government work, such as education or health
    ministry of
    the Ministry of Agriculture
    foreign/justice/finance etc ministry
    a Defence Ministry spokesman
2. the ministry the profession of being a church leader, especially in the Protestant Church:
    Converted in his early teens, he entered the ministry (=started working as a church leader) in 1855.
3. [countable usually singular] the work done by a priest or other religious person as a result of their religious beliefs:
    the ministry of Jesus