|

clerical

Anything related to office work is called clerical, especially the more menial and boring jobs such as filing and administration. You might say "The Office" is a clerical comedy.

In older times clerical had an additional common meaning of referring to anything to do with the clergy — those ordained for religious work, usually in the Christian faith. Clerical comes from the old Latin term clericus, meaning a "churchman," from which cleric later came, meaning a priest or religious leader. To have "a clerical air" means to be clearly identifiable either as an ink-stained office wretch or a member of the cloth.

PRIMARY MEANINGS OF: clerical

1
adj
appropriate for or engaged in office work
2
adj
of or relating to the clergy
FULL DEFINITIONS OF: clerical
1

adj appropriate for or engaged in office work

clerical skills”
“a clerical job”
“the clerical staff”
Synonyms
white-collar
of or designating salaried professional or clerical work or workers

adj of or relating to clerks

clerical work”
2

adj of or relating to the clergy

clerical collar”
WORD FAMILY
USAGE EXAMPLES