n.
Pronunciation: ' kl ə rk, Brit usu ' klärk
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French clerk & Old English cleric, clerc, both from Late Latin clericus, from Late Greek kl ē rikos, from Greek kl ē ros lot, inheritance (in allusion to Deut 18:2), stick of wood; akin to Greek klan to break ― more at CLAST
Date: before 12th century
1 : CLERIC
2 archaic : SCHOLAR
3 a : an official responsible (as to a government agency) for correspondence, records, and accounts and vested with specified powers or authority (as to issue writs as ordered by a court) <city clerk > b : one employed to keep records or accounts or to perform general office work c : one who works at a sales or service counter
– clerk · ship \ - ˌ ship \ noun