Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary · 1913

Ministry

Ministry , noun

[Latin ministerium. See Minister, n., and compare Mystery a trade.]

1.
The act of ministering; ministration; service.
With tender ministry. — Thomson
2.
Agency; instrumentality.
The ordinary ministry of second causes. — Atterbury
The wicked ministry of arms. — Dryden
3.
The office, duties, or functions of a minister, servant, or agent; ecclesiastical, executive, or ambassadorial function or profession.
4.
The body of ministers of state; also, the clergy, as a body.
5.
Administration; rule; term in power; as, the ministry of Pitt.