Churchman

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃɜːt͡ʃmən/

Definitions

1. A male individual who belongs to or serves as a leader within a Christian church
2. A man who is a member or official in a Christian religious organization
3. A male person involved in Christian church activities, often holding a clerical or leadership position

Etymology: "Churchman" is about as transparent as English compounds get: it joins "church" and "man," and the sense of a man belonging to the Church has been carried by the word since its formation. Its Scots counterpart, "kirkman," follows the same pattern, with "kirk" being the Scots form of "church," and German has a close parallel in "Kirchmann." What the word actually means is more specific than the parts suggest. A churchman is someone who holds an office in the church, such as a clergyman or ordained official, rather than any member of a congregation. The "man" in the compound therefore carries the sense of a person filling a role, much as it does in "statesman" or "craftsman."

Synonyms: clergyman, minister, priest, pastor, clerk