Nonclerics

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Individuals who are not members of the clergy; persons without official religious duties or spiritual authority; laypeople in contrast to ordained ministers
2. People who do not hold ecclesiastical positions; nonordained members of a religious community; laity distinguished from church officials
3. Those outside the clerical state; individuals lacking formal religious office or priestly status; regular members of society as opposed to religious functionaries

Etymology: "Nonclerics" is the plural of "noncleric," a noun meaning a person who is not a member of the clergy. It is built from the prefix "non-," meaning "not," attached to "cleric," which comes from the Late Latin "clericus," meaning "clergyman," itself borrowed from Greek "klerikos," "belonging to the clergy," from "klēros," meaning "lot" or "portion." The Greek sense arose because the early Christian community's leaders were thought of as those who had been allotted a share of God's service, and the Latin term was later used to mean one who could read and write, since the church was for centuries the main home of literacy. The English "cleric" entered the language in the 15th century, and "nonclerical," the adjective, followed as the older term was extended. The noun "nonclerics" is a plain, transparent formation rather than a word with a dramatic history, and its meaning follows directly from the parts it is built from.

Synonyms: laypeople, laity, seculars, nonpriests, nonreligious

Antonyms: clerics, clergy, priests, ministers, religious