chaplain

noun

chap·​lain ˈcha-plən 

1

: a clergyman in charge of a chapel

2

: a clergyman officially attached to a branch of the military, to an institution, or to a family or court

3

: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as at a meeting of a club or society)

4

: a clergyman appointed to assist a bishop (as at a liturgical function)

chaplaincy

ˈcha-plən-sē 

noun

Examples of chaplain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

As the hour drew to a close, Levi challenged James about Ryan — and learned that the chaplain’s husband was dead. —Charlie Mason, TVLine, 24 Oct. 2024

Houston was a chaplain with the Georgia Department of Public Safety, the agency said in a Facebook post on Sunday, Oct. 20. —David Chiu, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024

Among the dead was a chaplain for the state agency, Jones said. —Russ Bynum, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2024

In addition to technology leaders like Altman and Gates, Oprah interviewed Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin from the Center for Humane Technology, FBI Director Christopher Wray, YouTuber Marques Brownlee, chaplain Kaiser Aslam, and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson. —Gena Cox, Forbes, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English chapelein, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin cappellanus, from cappella

First Known Use

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

chaplain

noun

chap·​lain ˈchap-lən 

1

: a member of the clergy officially attached to a special group (as the army)

2

: a person chosen to conduct religious exercises (as for a club)