pastor
UK /ˈpɑː.stə/ · US /ˈpæs.tɚ/ noun, verb, proper noun
Forms pastors pastoring pastored pastour
- noun (now rare) Someone who tends to a flock of animals: synonym of shepherd.
- noun (countable, Protestantism) A minister or priest in a church.
- noun (countable, Roman Catholicism, US) The main priest serving a parish.
- noun A bird, the rosy starling.
- verb (Christianity, ambitransitive, stative) To serve a congregation as pastor.
- proper noun A surname originating as an occupation.
Synonyms
shepherd elder pastor-teacher parish priest curate minister of religion minister parson rector subgenus Pastor
Etymology
From Middle English pastour, from Old French pastor (Modern French pasteur), from Latin pāstor.
See pastor.
Webster’s 1913
- noun A shepherd; one who has the care of flocks and herds.
- noun A guardian; a keeper; specifically (Eccl.), a minister having the charge of a church and parish.
Etymology [L., fr. pascere, pastum, to pasture, to feed. Cf. Pabulum, Pasture, Food.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “pastor”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details