min ‧ is ‧ try W2 AC /ˈmɪnəstri, ˈmɪnɪstri/ BrE AmE noun ( plural ministries )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ ministry , ↑ minister ; adjective : ↑ ministerial ]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: ministerium , from minister ; ⇨ ↑ minister 1 ]
1 . [countable] a government department that is responsible for one of the areas of government work, such as education or health
ministry of
the Ministry of Agriculture
foreign/justice/finance etc ministry
a Defence Ministry spokesman
2 . the ministry the profession of being a church leader, especially in the Protestant Church:
Converted in his early teens, he entered the ministry (=started working as a church leader) in 1855.
3 . [countable usually singular] the work done by a priest or other religious person as a result of their religious beliefs:
the ministry of Jesus