Ministry

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ministry \Min"is*try\, n.; pl. Ministries . [L. ministerium. See
     {Minister}, n., and cf. {Mystery} a trade.]
     [1913 Webster]
     1. The act of ministering; ministration; service. "With
        tender ministry." --Thomson.
        [1913 Webster]


  
     2. Hence: Agency; instrumentality.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The ordinary ministry of second causes. --Atterbury.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              The wicked ministry of arms.          --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. The office, duties, or functions of a minister, servant,
        or agent; ecclesiastical, executive, or ambassadorial
        function or profession.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     4. The body of ministers of state; also, the clergy, as a
        body.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     5. Administration; rule; term in power; as, the ministry of
        Pitt.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  ministry
       n 1: religious ministers collectively (especially Presbyterian)
       2: building where the business of a government ministry is
          transacted
       3: a government department under the direction of a minister

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  123 Moby Thesaurus words for "ministry":
     Sacred College, administration, advisory council, agency, agent,
     aid, assistance, attendance, auspices, bailiwick, benefit, bureau,
     bureaucracy, cabinet, camarilla, care, channel, charge, clergy,
     clerical order, clericals, comfort, commissariat, constablery,
     constablewick, constabulary, council, council of state, cure,
     custodianship, custody, department, directorate, divan, ease,
     employ, employment, good offices, governance, government,
     guardianship, guidance, hands, help, hierarchy, higher echelons,
     higher-ups, holy orders, instrument, instrumentality,
     instrumentation, jurisdiction, keeping, kitchen cabinet,
     management, mean, medium, ministration, municipality, office,
     offices, officialdom, organ, oversight, pastorage, pastorate,
     pastorship, patronage, peonage, prelacy, presbytery, priestery,
     priesthood, privy council, protection, protectorship, rabbinate,
     relief, religion, remedy, rescue, ruling class, ruling classes,
     sacred calling, safe hands, secretariat, serfdom, service,
     servitium, servitorship, servitude, shadow cabinet, sheriffalty,
     sheriffwick, shrievalty, slavery, stewardship, succor, support,
     tendance, the Establishment, the administration, the authorities,
     the church, the cloth, the ingroup, the interests,
     the people upstairs, the power elite, the power structure,
     the pulpit, the top, them, therapy, they, top brass, tutelage,
     vehicle, ward, wardenship, wardship, watch and ward, wing