ministerial

Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel, equivalent to minister +‎ -ial. Doublet of minstrel and ministerialis.

• IPA^(key): /ˌmɪnəˈstɪɹi.əl/, /-ˈstɪəɹ-/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

ministerial (comparative more ministerial, superlative most ministerial)

1. Related to a religious minister or ministry.
2. Related to a governmental minister or ministry.
   • 2023 November 15, Christian Wolmar, “Ministers should carry the can for ticket office fiasco”, in RAIL, number 996, page 46:

     In over a quarter of a century of writing this column, there has been no end of scandals, mishaps, errors and general cock-ups resulting from ministerial incompetence.

3. Having the power to wield delegated executive authority.
4. (especially law) Serving as an instrument or means (i.e., procedural or ancillary, not substantive).

   Synonym: instrumental

   Filling out the form under the direction of a lawyer is a ministerial task performed by a legal secretary.

ministerial (plural ministerials)

1. (historical) A member of the mediaeval estate or caste of unfree nobles.
   • 2002, Francis G. Gentry, The Nibelungen Tradition, page 142:

     By the time of the Nibelungenlied the word was used to denote a wide variety of usually ecclesiastic or royal administrators, from the lowest, unfree ministerial to an enfeoffed judge.

2. A meeting of government ministers from partner countries.

   The NATO ministerial was attended by the defence ministers of all member states.

• matrilinies

Borrowed from Late Latin ministeriālis. By surface analysis, ministeri +‎ -al.

• IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic) [mi.nis.tə.ɾiˈal]
• IPA^(key): (Valencia) [mi.nis.te.ɾiˈal]
• Rhymes: -al

ministerial m or f (masculine and feminine plural ministerials)

1. ministerial

• “ministerial” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
• “ministerial” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “ministerial”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
• “ministerial”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007

Borrowed from Late Latin ministeriālis. By surface analysis, ministério +‎ -al.

• Hyphenation: mi‧nis‧te‧ri‧al

ministerial m or f (plural ministeriais)

1. (ecclesiastical) ministerial (related to a religious minister or ministry)
2. (government) ministerial (related to a governmental minister or ministry)
3. ministerial (having the power to wield delegated executive authority)

• ministral

• “ministerial”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
• “ministerial”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
• “ministerial” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “ministerial”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
• “ministerial”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
• “ministerial”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

Borrowed from French ministériel.

ministerial m or n (feminine singular ministerială, masculine plural ministeriali, feminine and neuter plural ministeriale)

1. ministerial

By surface analysis, ministerio +‎ -al.

• IPA^(key): /ministeˈɾjal/ [mi.nis.t̪eˈɾjal]
• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: mi‧nis‧te‧rial

ministerial m or f (masculine and feminine plural ministeriales)

1. ministerial

• “ministerial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 10 December 2024