Definition of "minister" []

• One who is authorized to perform religious functions in a Christian church, especially a Protestant church. (noun)
• Roman Catholic Church The superior in certain orders. (noun)
• A high officer of state appointed to head an executive or administrative department of government. (noun)
• An authorized diplomatic representative of a government, usually ranking next below an ambassador. (noun)
• A person serving as an agent for another by carrying out specified orders or functions. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The author and the minister did their parts in the ordinary pursuit of their vocations; but the _author_ did his part impersonally and indirectly, whilst the _minister_ did his part personally and face to face."
• "Granet, _the gentleman who will become a minister_; well, Prangins is the gentleman who would be a minister, but who never will be!"
• "LEAD: Kan to name Noda as finance minister, Renho as consumer minister+"