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

In Florida, school boards are considering whether to allow volunteers to serve as chaplains or religious representatives for willing students after a law was passed this year. —Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 1 Dec. 2024

Manning the grill was Pastor David MacLellan, a Christian nationalist who is the chaplain for the Patriot Party of Arizona and subscribes to the extremist ideology of the Black Robe Regiment. —David Gilbert, WIRED, 5 Nov. 2024

One person who died has been identified as Charles Houston, the chaplain for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia State Patrol and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. —CBS News, 20 Oct. 2024

Inside the church, Charles and Camilla signed two bibles, including one that belonged to Australia’s first minister and chaplain of the First Fleet of ships that took convicts from Britain to the penal colony of Australia in 1788. —Reuters, CNN, 19 Oct. 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)