ministry
Meaning
A government department headed by a minister.
The work or office of a minister of religion.
The period of service of a minister of religion.
Structure
Usage
He works for the Ministry of Defence.
She felt a strong calling to enter the ministry.
His ministry in the rural parish lasted for over twenty years.
Etymology
The word 'ministry' originates from the Latin ministerium, meaning "service, attendance, office," which itself derives from minister (servant). The root minister is built from minus, meaning "less," implying a subordinate role. This concept evolved from the literal sense of a servant or agent performing duties for a superior to denote the office or function of such service. In English, it first applied to the duties of a religious minister before expanding to signify a government department headed by a minister of state, conceptualizing the department as an instrument serving the public under its leader's direction.
Analysis
ministr (from Latin minister, meaning "servant, attendant, agent"), y (from Latin -ia via Old French -ie, a noun-forming suffix denoting state, condition, or quality).