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"ministry (government department)" in seven languages

Meaningministry (government department)

Spanish

ministerio

/minisˈteɾjo/

masc.learned

French

ministère

/ministɛʁ/

masc.learned

Italian

ministero

/miniˈstɛro/

masc.learned

Portuguese

ministério

/minisˈtɛɾju/

masc.learned

Romanian

minister

/minisˈter/

neut.learned

Minister is the ministry; the minister in charge is ministru.

Catalan

ministeri

/minisˈtɛɾi/

masc.learned

English

ministry

/ˈmɪnɪstɹi/

from Latin/French · Latin ministerium

English → Italianministry (government department)ministeroCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

MINISTERIUM‘service, office’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

A MINISTER was a servant, built on MINUS 'less', the opposite of MAGISTER 'master', built on MAGIS 'more'. A ministry is literally a service.

English relatives: minister, administer, minus

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In a sentence

  • esTrabaja en el Ministerio de Sanidad.
  • frElle travaille au ministère de la Santé.
  • itLavora al Ministero della Salute.
  • ptEla trabalha no Ministério da Saúde.
  • roLucrează la Ministerul Sănătății.
  • caTreballa al Ministeri de Sanitat.
  • enShe works at the Ministry of Health.

More words from the same Latin

More in Work & money

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