pastor

[ pas-ter, pah-ster ]
/ ˈpæs tər, ˈpɑ stər /

noun

a minister or priest in charge of a church.
a person having spiritual care of a number of persons.
Ornithology. any of various starlings, especially Sturnus roseus (rosy pastor) of Europe and Asia.

verb (used with object)

to serve as the pastor of: He pastored the church here for many years.

Origin of pastor

1325–75; < Latin pāstor shepherd, literally, feeder, equivalent to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor -tor; replacing Middle English pastour < Anglo-French

OTHER WORDS FROM pastor

pas·tor·less, adjective pas·tor·like, pas·tor·ly, adjective sub·pas·tor, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH pastor

clergy cleric imam minister pastor priest rabbi

Example sentences from the Web for pastor

British Dictionary definitions for pastor

pastor
/ (ˈpɑːstə) /

noun

a clergyman or priest in charge of a congregation
a person who exercises spiritual guidance over a number of people
an archaic word for shepherd (def. 1)
Also called: rosy pastor a S Asian starling, Sturnus roseus, having glossy black head and wings and a pale pink body

Derived forms of pastor

pastorship, noun

Word Origin for pastor

C14: from Latin: shepherd, from pascere to feed

Cultural definitions for pastor

pastor

In some groups of Christians (see also Christian), the clergyman in charge of an individual congregation. The term is used this way in the Lutheran Church and Roman Catholic Church and, to a lesser extent, by Baptists and in the Protestant Episcopal Church.