clerical

Clerical is an adjective with several related senses in English. It most commonly refers to matters connected with office administration and the work of clerks, but it can also describe things relating to the clergy or to church life. The two senses are distinct, though they share origins in the concept of organized record-keeping and governance.

In a secular context, clerical work includes routine administrative tasks such as filing, data entry, word processing, scheduling, and document management. People who perform these tasks are described as clerical staff or administrative assistants. The term also appears in phrases like clerical error, which denotes a mistake arising from record-keeping or paperwork rather than from a conceptual error.

In a religious context, clerical pertains to the clergy or church administration. It can describe duties carried out by church officers, such as liturgical functions, pastoral care, or governance, as well as attire associated with clergy, such as clerical collars. The term can be used of institutions or offices within a church as well as of individuals who hold clerical status.

Etymology traces clerical to the Latin clericus ‘clerk, scholar,’ via Old French and other intermediaries, reflecting the historical link between educated writing and church administration. Today, the term is neutral and widely used in both professional and religious discourse.

See also: cleric, clergy, clerical error, clerks, clerical collar.