Nonclerical

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Referring to functions or positions that do not involve religious duties or clerical roles
2. Relating to tasks and responsibilities outside the clerical or religious sphere
3. Pertaining to roles or activities that are independent of religious or clerical functions

Etymology: "Nonclerical" is a plain formation: the prefix "non-" attached to "clerical," meaning not relating to the clergy. Its interest lies in the parts rather than any dramatic story. "Non-" descends from Old English "nān," meaning "not one" or "none," itself built from "ne" (not) and "ān" (one). Over the centuries that negating word was shortened and reshaped into the prefix English now uses freely to form words like "nonfiction" or "nonstop." "Clerical" comes from "clerk," which in medieval Latin-influenced English referred to a member of the clergy, since clergy were among the few people who could read and write. The word therefore once named a churchman before it came to describe any office work. "Nonclerical" simply reverses the older sense, setting ordinary lay life apart from the church.

Synonyms: lay, secular, non-religious, civil, worldly

Antonyms: clerical, religious, sacred, spiritual, holy