clergy
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clergy
The collective body of religious officials of a religion, especially the Christian church. This word is used only in the singular.
Im Mittelalter hatte der Klerus großen Einfluss auf die Gesellschaft.
In the Middle Ages, the clergy had great influence on society.
'Klerus' (clergy) is a collective term that describes a group of people. Although it refers to many people, the word is grammatically used in the singular and takes a singular verb.
Der Klerus war mit der Entscheidung des Papstes nicht einverstanden.
The clergy did not agree with the pope's decision.
This word belongs to formal, historical, or religious usage. You mainly find it in texts about history, religion, or politics.
Die Beziehung zwischen dem Staat und dem Klerus hat sich über die Jahrhunderte stark verändert.
The relationship between the state and the clergy has changed greatly over the centuries.
The adjective that refers to the clergy is 'klerikal' (clerical). When you see this word, you know that it has a connection to religious officials or the church.
Er kritisierte den klerikalen Einfluss auf die Politik des Landes.
He criticized the clerical influence on the country's politics.
clergyman
'der Geistliche' and 'der Klerus' both belong to the area of religion and the church, but they do not refer to the same thing. 'der Geistliche' means one individual male person with a church office. 'der Klerus', on the other hand, means the clergy as a whole, that is, an entire group. The word is used only in the singular and sounds rather formal. The words can be confused because the clergy includes many clergymen. If you mean one person, you say 'der Geistliche'. If you mean the group as a whole, 'der Klerus' fits.
In dem Buch geht es um den Einfluss des Klerus im Mittelalter.
The book is about the influence of the clergy in the Middle Ages.
Ein Geistlicher besuchte die Familie nach dem Gottesdienst.
A clergyman visited the family after the church service.