Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1300-1400
Language: Latin
Origin: ministerium, from minister; MINISTER1

ministry

 noun
     
Related topics: Government, Christianity
min‧is‧try W2 plural ministries
1 [countable]PG 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

RRC 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]RRC the work done by a priest or other religious person as a result of their religious beliefs:
the ministry of Jesus
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
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