A Latin term for the clergy collectively, or the ordained religious officials as a body; sometimes used in English ecclesiastical contexts.
From Latin 'clerus,' derived from Greek 'kleros' (lot, portion), which evolved to mean clergy as the 'chosen portion' of the church. The word entered English through ecclesiastical Latin.
The word 'clergy' itself comes from this Latin 'clerus'—and the Greek root 'kleros' originally meant a lot drawn in a lottery, suggesting clergy were originally seen as 'chosen by lot' by God.
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