Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Of or relating to clerks or office workers or their work.
- adjective Of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy.
- adjective Advocating clericalism.
- noun A member of the clergy.
- noun Garments worn by the clergy.
- noun An advocate of clericalism.
from The Century Dictionary.
- Relating or pertaining to the clergy: as, clerical tonsure; clerical robes; clerical duties.
- Of or pertaining to a clerk, writer, or copyist: as, clerical errors.
- noun A member of the clergy.
- noun A supporter, especially a political supporter, of clerical power or influence.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective Of or pertaining to the clergy; suitable for the clergy.
- adjective Of or relating to a clerk or copyist, or to writing.
- adjective characteristic of the work performed by a clerk, secretary, or copyist, or suitable to be performed by a clerk.
- adjective an error made in copying or writing.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective of or relating to
clerks or theirwork - adjective of or relating to the
clergy - noun A member of the clergy.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- adjective of or relating to clerks
- adjective of or relating to the clergy
- adjective appropriate for or engaged in office work
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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He also now says he failed to report two smaller land deals because of what he calls clerical errors.
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I have come to realise that there is a curious assumption made about people who work in clerical roles; that somehow, perhaps through psychic ability or secretive organisations, we all know each other.
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Rather, the move would see prisoners working in clerical roles and for utility companies such as the National Grid, which already runs some prison programs.
Chain gang redux? Prisoners should work to compensate for crime, U.K. justice secretary says Melissa Bell 2010
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I for one would rather watch football (American or English variety) than a performance by an unbeliever in clerical drag.
Anglican bishop: Church of England likely gone in thirty years 2009
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Nuns and priests could once more appear publicly in clerical garb, they could vote, the Church could own property, diplomatic relations were re-established with the Vatican, and religious schools were once more authorized.
High hopes, baffling uncertainty: Mexico nears the millennium 2008
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Nuns and priests could once more appear publicly in clerical garb, they could vote, the Church could own property, diplomatic relations were re-established with the Vatican, and religious schools were once more authorized.
High hopes, baffling uncertainty: Mexico nears the millennium 2008
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Nuns and priests could once more appear publicly in clerical garb, they could vote, the Church could own property, diplomatic relations were re-established with the Vatican, and religious schools were once more authorized.
High hopes, baffling uncertainty: Mexico nears the millennium 2008
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And I asked him why he was never in clerical garb now that he was in Mexico.
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But, I'll say this, it's hard to see how someone like the pope isn't asking for special attention, and mutatis mutandis this creates a problem for people in clerical garb.
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It was no accident that medieval government fell almost entirely into the hands of clerics, who were, indeed, the only literate element in the early medieval community, and the close connection between the word "cleric" and the word "clerk" and the dual meaning of their common adjective "clerical", is a continuing reminder of this feature of the origins of our Civil Service.
bilby commented on the word clerical
"'The heart of every person emits a sound,' he said. 'It has a wonderful ring, but unfortunately we dampen it. Right now all of you sound marvelous. There isn't a single one of you for whom Franz and I wouldn't break our clerical vows. If you just listened ten minutes each day. To your heart. And let go of the tension that keeps the wave front from spreading. My God, you would sound like Bach.'"
- 'The Quiet Girl', Peter Høeg.
March 19, 2008