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Minister vs Chairman - What's the difference?

minister | chairman |

As nouns the difference between minister and chairman

is that minister is a person who is trained to perform religious ceremonies at a Protestant church while chairman is a person (implied male) presiding over a meeting.

As a verb minister

is to attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.

minister

English

Noun

(en noun) (minister)
  • A person who is trained to perform religious ceremonies at a Protestant church.
  • A politician who heads a ministry (national or regional government department for public service).
  • * (Francis Bacon) (1561-1626)
  • Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.
  • At a diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
  • A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
  • * Bible, (w) xxiv. 13
  • Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua.
  • * (William Shakespeare) (1564-1616)
  • I chose / Camillo for the minister , to poison / My friend Polixenes.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.
  • A newspaper headline: Couple leaves business world to minister to inner-city children
  • to function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship
  • (archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
  • * Bible, 2 Corinthians ix. 10
  • He that ministereth seed to the sower.
  • * Jeremy Taylor
  • We minister to God reason to suspect us.
  • * 1610 , , act 2 scene 1
  • I do well believe your highness; and did it to / minister occasion to these gentlemen [...] (to give opportunity to these gentlemen)

    See also

    * cleric * father * parson * pastor * priest * vicar

    Anagrams

    * ----

    chairman

    Noun

    (chairmen)
  • A person (implied male) presiding over a meeting.
  • The head of a corporate or governmental board of directors, a committee, or other formal entity.
  • (historical) Someone whose job is to carry people in a portable chair, sedan chair, or similar conveyance.
  • * 1749 , Henry Fielding, Tom Jones , Folio Society 1973, p. 618:
  • Mr Western entered; but not before a small wrangling bout had passed between him and his chairmen ; for the fellows, who had taken up their burden at the Hercules Pillars, had conceived no hopes of having any future good customer in the squire [...]
  • * 1836 , Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers ?
  • Mr. Winkle, catching sight of a lady's face at the window of the sedan, turned hastily round, plied the knocker with all his might and main, and called frantically upon the chairman to take the chair away again.

    Usage notes

    Historically meant a man, now also used for women.

    Antonyms

    * chairwoman

    Hypernyms

    * chair, chairperson * presiding officer, presider