Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “minister” come from?

Minister comes from Middle English ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister meaning servant or attendant, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European men- meaning to think or remember.

minister (English): A person who is trained to preach, to perform...

Definitions

  1. A person who is trained to preach, to perform...

Ancestry of “minister”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishministreA hireling or secretary; one who serves and...
2Old Frenchministre—
3Latinministerattendant, servant, waiter; agent, aide;...
4Latinminusnominative neuter singular of minor; accusative...
5Proto-Italicminos—

Words derived from “minister”

  • ministre
  • ministership
  • ministereth
  • ministerest
  • underminister
  • superminister
  • ministerless
  • ministerly
  • minista
  • minista
Every word from Proto-Italic minos →