ministerial

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel. Doublet of minstrel and ministerialis.

Pronunciation

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

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Adjective

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.

Derived terms

• ministerial code
• ministerially

 

Related terms

• minister
• ministerium
• ministry
• prime ministerial

 

Translations

related to a religious minister or ministry

• Bulgarian: свещенически (bg) (svešteničeski)
• Finnish: papillinen, pappis- (fi)
• Portuguese: ministerial
• Swedish: administrativ (sv)
• Welsh: gweinidogol

related to a governmental minister or ministry

• Belarusian: міністэ́рскі (ministérski)
• Bulgarian: министерски (ministerski)
• Dutch: ministerieel (nl)
• Finnish: ministeri- (fi)
• French: ministériel (fr)
• Galician: ministerial
• Polish: ministerialny (pl)
• Portuguese: ministerial
• Romanian: ministerial (ro)
• Russian: министе́рский (ru) (ministérskij)
• Swedish: administrativ (sv)
• Ukrainian: міністе́рський (ministérsʹkyj)
• Welsh: gweinidogol

having the power to wield delegated executive authority

• Finnish: toimivaltainen
• French: ministériel (fr)
• Portuguese: ministerial
• Swedish: administrativ (sv)

serving as an instrument or means

• Finnish: avustava (fi)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• German: ^{(please verify)} ministeriell
• Italian: ^{(please verify)} ministeriale (it)
• Mongolian: ^{(please verify)} албан (alban)
• Romanian: ^{(please verify)} ministerial (ro) m or n
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} ministerial (es)

Noun

ministerial (plural ministerials)

1. (historical) A member of the mediaeval estate or caste of unfree nobles.

Translations

unfree noble

• Dutch: ministeriaal m, dienstman m
• Finnish: ministeriaali
• French: ministériel (fr)
• German: Ministerial m, Dienstmann (de) m
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: please add this translation if you can
• Swedish: prästerlig (sv)

Anagrams

• matrilinies

Catalan

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

ministerial m or f (masculine and feminine plural ministerials)

1. ministerial

Further reading

• “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, 2024
• “ministerial” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

Portuguese

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /mi.nis.te.ɾiˈaw/ [mi.nis.te.ɾɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /mi.nis.teˈɾjaw/ [mi.nis.teˈɾjaʊ̯]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /mi.nis.te.ɾiˈaw/ [mi.nis.te.ɾɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /mi.nis.teˈɾjaw/ [mi.nis.teˈɾjaʊ̯]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /mi.niʃ.te.ɾiˈaw/ [mi.niʃ.te.ɾɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /mi.niʃ.teˈɾjaw/ [mi.niʃ.teˈɾjaʊ̯]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɨ.niʃ.tɨˈɾjal/ [mɨ.niʃ.tɨˈɾjaɫ], (proscribed) /mi.niʃ.tɨˈɾjal/ [mi.niʃ.tɨˈɾjaɫ]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɨ.niʃ.tɨˈɾjal/ [mɨ.niʃ.tɨˈɾjaɫ], (proscribed) /mi.niʃ.tɨˈɾjal/ [mi.niʃ.tɨˈɾjaɫ]
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /mɨ.niʃ.tɨˈɾja.li/, (proscribed) /mi.niʃ.tɨˈɾja.li/

• Hyphenation: mi‧nis‧te‧ri‧al

Adjective

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)

Synonyms

• ministral

Related terms

• ministério
• ministro

 

Further reading

• “ministerial” in iDicionário Aulete.
• “ministerial” in Dicionário inFormal.
• “ministerial” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
• “ministerial” in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa. Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024.
• “ministerial” in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa.
• “ministerial” in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa.

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French ministériel.

Adjective

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

1. ministerial

Declension

Declension of ministerial

		singular			plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine	masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative/ accusative	indefinite	ministerial		ministerială	ministeriali	ministeriale
	definite	ministerialul		ministeriala	ministerialii	ministerialele
genitive/ dative	indefinite	ministerial		ministeriale	ministeriali	ministeriale
	definite	ministerialului		ministerialei	ministerialilor	ministerialelor

Spanish

Etymology

By surface analysis, ministerio +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

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

Adjective

ministerial m or f (masculine and feminine plural ministeriales)

1. ministerial

Further reading

• “ministerial”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014