Etymograph

English

minister

Minister comes from Middle English ministre, from Old French ministre, from Latin minister ‘attendant, servant’, from minor ‘less’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘small’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*minéwti‘to lessen’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘less’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEminister‘an attendant’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ministre
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ministre‘a person tasked with a duty or job’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611minister

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*mey-‘small’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*minéwti‘to lessen’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*minōs‘less’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEminor‘less’
  5. Latin, derivedc. 75 BCE–200 CEminister‘an attendant’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400ministre
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500ministre‘a person tasked with a duty or job’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1610–1611minister

Earliest quotation: c. 1610–1611, William Shakespeare, The Winters Tale: “[…], I choſe / Camillo for the miniſter, to…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *mey- ‘small, little’

mean, common, community, met, commission, mess, communication, meal, mutual, immune, commit, communicate, mere, min, communist, compromise, missile, ammunition, immunity, communal, mole, municipality, minus, mural, ammo, communism, premise, dismiss, mayhem, communion, noodle, moor, commune, remuneration, omit, monolith, intermittent, mite, mitra, mitre, 74 more

through Proto-Italic *minuō ‘to lessen, make smaller’

minute, menu, minuet, minutia, 10 more

through Latin minor ‘less’

minor, menace, amenable, demean, 8 more

through Latin minister ‘an attendant, servant, assistant, a priest's…’

administration, 5 more

Another origin of minister

  1. Old Frenchc. 842–1400menistrer
  2. Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600ministrer
  3. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500mynystren‘to confer or grant’
  4. Englishtodayminister

Today it means

noun A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *mey- / minister

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