Ecclesiaste

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A preacher or member of the clergy who speaks to a religious congregation or assembly
2. A churchman, often a preacher, who addresses a gathering of worshippers in a church setting
3. Someone ordained to teach and preach within a religious community, particularly before a congregation

Etymology: The Greek translators of the Old Testament used "ekklesiastes" for the Hebrew title "Qohelet," which is usually taken to mean something like a gatherer or convener of people. The Greek word therefore named someone who addresses an assembly, not a preacher as such. That Greek word is built from "ekklesia," meaning assembly, and "ek" with "kaleo," meaning "out" and "to call." In classical Athens the "ekklesia" was the body of citizens that voted on laws, so the root first described a civic gathering. Early Christians later adopted the term for the church. Through Late Latin, the word reached the Vulgate, where the biblical book's title was rendered as "Ecclesiastes," and in medieval usage this came to mean a preacher. English later took the word for the person who speaks to a congregation, a sense that matches the book's own speaker, who addresses an assembly of listeners.