cleric
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a person who is an official leader in a religion, like a priest or a monk.
a member of the clergy; a person ordained for religious service.
Simple“The local cleric led the community in prayer during the festival.”
In context“The senior cleric issued a statement calling for peace and reconciliation between the two warring factions.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
in games like Dungeons & Dragons, a character who uses magic from a god to heal others.
a character class in role-playing games typically characterised by divine magic, healing abilities, and religious devotion.
Simple“Our team needs a cleric to help heal us during the boss fight.”
In context“The player chose to build a cleric character, focusing on defensive spells and restorative magic to support the rest of the adventuring party.”
UsageCommonly used in the context of tabletop or video game mechanics.
Teacher's tipThis sense is specific to gaming culture; in general conversation, 'cleric' almost always refers to a real-world religious figure.
Borrowed from Late Latin clēricus, from Ancient Greek κληρικός (klērikós), from κλῆρος (klêros, “a casting lots, drawing lots”). Many officers at Athens obtained their offices by lot, as opposed to election (Liddell and Scott). Doublet of clerk.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.