A cleric (Ancient Greek κληρικός - klērikos) or clergyman (pl. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c clergymen) is a member of the clergy of a religion, especially one who is a priest, preacher, or other religious professional. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given Religion. A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Preacher is a term the for someone who preaches Sermons or gives homilies It is often used to refer to the religious leadership in Islam, where the term "priest" is not accurate and where terms such as "Alim" are not widely understood in the English-speaking world. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities Ulema ( ar علماء,, singular ar عالِم,, "scholar" refers to the educated class of Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several

Within Christianity, especially in Eastern Christianity and Roman Catholicism, the term cleric refers to any individual who has received the clerical tonsure, including deacons, priests, and bishops. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Families of churches Eastern Christians have a shared tradition but they became divided ( Schism) during the early centuries of Christianity in disputes about Tonsure is the practice of some Christian churches mystics Buddhist novices and Monks and some Hindu temples of cutting the Hair from the Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight In Roman Catholicism, the tonsure was a prerequisite for receiving any of the minor orders or major orders before the minor orders and the subdiaconate were abolished following the Second Vatican Council. Tonsure is the practice of some Christian churches mystics Buddhist novices and Monks and some Hindu temples of cutting the Hair from the The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. The term major orders or sacred orders was a part of the clerical terminology of the Roman Catholic Church until shortly after the Second Vatican Council The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. Subdeacon (or sub-deacon is a title used in various branches of Christianity. The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, or Vatican II, was the twentieth century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. Thusly, those individuals who have received the tonsure, but are not deacons, priests, or bishops, are properly referred to as clerics. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions A priest or priestess is a person having the authority or power to administer religious rites in particular rites of sacrifice to and propitiation of a deity or deities A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight ^[1] Minor Orders are still given in the Eastern Catholic Churches, and 'cleric' is the normal title given to seminarians and those with minor orders. The minor orders are the lowest ranks in the Christian clergy. This article refers to Eastern Churches in full communion with the Holy See

The term "clerk" derives from "cleric,"^[2] since in medieval times the clergy were one of the few groups who could read, and therefore were often employed to do bookkeeping and similar work. Clerk, the vocational title commonly refers to a White-collar worker who conducts general office or in some instances sales tasks The term "clerical work" continues to this day to refer to such functions.

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