clerical

[kler-i-kuhl]

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.

   a clerical job.

2. doing the work of a clerk or clerks.

   a clerical assistant;

   a clerical staff.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.

   clerical garb.

4. advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..

   a clerical party.

noun

1. a cleric.

2. Informal.,  clericals, clerical garments.

3. a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

4. a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

5. Also called clerical error. a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

clerical

/ ˈklɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or associated with the clergy

   clerical dress

2. of or relating to office clerks or their work

   a clerical error

3. supporting or advocating clericalism

Other Word Forms

• clerically adverb
• clericality noun
• interclerical adjective
• nonclerical adjective
• nonclerically adverb
• preclerical adjective
• proclerical adjective
• pseudoclerical adjective
• pseudoclerically adverb
• quasi-clerical adjective
• quasi-clerically adverb
• semiclerical adjective
• semiclerically adverb
• unclerical adjective
• unclerically adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of clerical¹

1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 clerical for def. 3; late Middle English < Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric ( us ) cleric + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

However, jobs like clerical worker, roofer and taxi driver are considered above these working glass groups, as are public sector jobs like nurses and teachers.

From BBC

Requests for deadline extensions, she says, were delayed by clerical errors, compounding her anxiety at an already stressful time.

From BBC

In other cases, North Carolinians did provide that information, but clerical or database errors prevented it from being linked with their names.

From Salon

Supporters and critics of Iran's clerical rulers mingled, drawn together by shared worry about their country's future.

From BBC

Many instances of reported fraud were due to clerical errors or human errors.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• ecclesiastical 
• ministerial 
• monastic 
• pastoral 
• rabbinical