What does nonclerical mean?
Nonclerical means that something is not connected with the clergy or the duties performed by clergy. In churches, religious organizations, historical institutions, and legal or administrative records, it distinguishes lay or secular roles from positions with specifically pastoral, sacramental, or ecclesiastical functions. For example, a nonclerical board member may participate in an institution’s governance without being a member of its clergy. The word is formal and often appears in descriptions of employment, appointments, education, property, and historical practice. Although it can occasionally be used loosely as a synonym for secular, its usual implication is narrower: the contrast is specifically between clerical and nonclerical spheres rather than between religious and nonreligious matters in general. The prefix “non-” combines with “clerical,” ultimately from the Greek root klerikos, meaning “of the clergy.”
adjectiveNot pertaining to the clergy or to clerical duties; secular or non-religious in institutional context.
- Not relating to the clergy or clerical duties; secular in institutional context.
"The archive was managed by a nonclerical team of volunteers."
"The committee includes both clergy and nonclerical members."
"Her responsibilities were entirely nonclerical and involved only the administration of the charity."
Nonclerical is what you call work that may belong to an institution but does not belong to its clergy.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does nonclerical come from?
The word was formed in the 19th century by combining the prefix “non-” with “clerical.” “Clerical” comes through Old French from late Latin clericalis, derived from Latin clericus, “clergyman” or “cleric.” That Latin term continues the ancient Greek klerikos, associated with klēros, meaning “lot” or “inheritance,” an allusion to the lots assigned to members of the early Christian clergy.
How nonclerical is actually used
The term is most common in institutional, historical, occupational, and legal contexts. It is occasionally used more broadly for anything not religious, but that broader meaning can sound unnecessarily dismissive or contrast with a more precise term such as “secular.”
Easily confused with nonclerical
Nonclerical means not connected with the clergy, whereas nonclinical means not connected with clinical diagnosis or treatment.