Clericals

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A type of clothing typically worn by clergy members, usually consisting of distinct garments symbolizing their religious office
2. Referring to administrative tasks or activities such as record keeping or document processing that may be performed in an office setting
3. Pertaining to or resembling matters of the church, including roles, responsibilities, and attire associated with religious figures

Etymology: "Clericals" is the plural of "clerical," which in its noun sense means the ordinary dress or working garments of clergy, such as the black suit with a white collar. The plural form is most often heard in that outfit sense, as in someone wearing their clericals. The adjective "clerical" comes from Late Latin "clericalis," meaning belonging to a clergyman, and that Late Latin word was built on "clericus," which meant clergyman or priest. Early Christian Latin had already turned "clericus" into a term for members of the church set apart from the laity, so the word carried a sense of ecclesiastical office from the start, long before it came to describe a particular style of dress. The shift from office to garment is the notable step. A word that once named a person's role in the church became, through the adjective, a name for the uniform that signaled that role, and the plural now refers to that clothing itself.

Synonyms: office workers, administrative staff, clerks