What is "cleric"

Cleric \Cler"ic\, n. [AS., fr. L. clericus. See Clerk.] A clerk, a clergyman. [R.]
--Bp. Horsley.

Cleric \Cler"ic\, a. Same as Clerical.

1620s (also in early use as an adjective), from Church Latin clericus "clergyman, priest," noun use of adjective meaning "priestly, belonging to the clerus;" from Ecclesiastical Greek klerikos "pertaining to an inheritance," but in Greek Christian jargon by 2c., "of the clergy, belonging to the clergy," as opposed to the laity; from kleros "a lot, allotment; piece of land; heritage, inheritance," originally "a shard or wood chip used in casting lots," related to klan "to break" (see clastic).\n

\nKleros was used by early Greek Christians for matters relating to ministry, based on Deut. xviii:2 reference to Levites as temple assistants: "Therefore shall they have no inheritance among their brethren: the Lord is their inheritance," kleros being used as a translation of Hebrew nahalah "inheritance, lot." Or else it is from the use of the word in Acts i:17. A word taken up in English after clerk (n.) shifted to its modern meaning.

n. A clergy member.

n. a clergyman or other person in religious orders [syn: churchman, divine, ecclesiastic]

The cleric is one of the standard playable character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In the game, clerics are versatile figures, both capable in combat and skilled in the use of divine magic. Clerics are powerful healers due to the large number of healing and curative magics available to them. With divinely-granted abilities over life or death, they are also able to repel or control undead creatures. Whether the cleric repels or controls undead is dependent on the cleric's alignment. It is the only class to be in every version of Dungeons & Dragons without a name change.

The Cleric, Priest, or Bishop is a character class in Dungeons & Dragons and other fantasy role-playing games. The cleric is a healer, usually a priest and a holy warrior, originally modeled on or inspired by the Military Orders. Clerics are usually members of religious orders, with the original intent being to portray soldiers of sacred orders who have magical abilities, although this role was later taken more clearly by the paladin. Most clerics have powers to heal wounds, protect their allies and sometimes resurrect the dead, as well as summon, manipulate and banish undead.

A description of Priests and Priestesses from the Nethack guidebook: Priests and Priestesses are clerics militant, crusaders advancing the cause of righteousness with arms, armor, and arts thaumaturgic. Their ability to commune with deities via prayer occasionally extricates them from peril, but can also put them in it.

A common feature of clerics across many games is that they may not equip pointed weapons such as swords or daggers, and must use blunt weapons such as maces, war-hammers, shields or wand instead. This is based on a popular, but erroneous, interpretation of the depiction of Odo of Bayeux and accompanying text. They are also often limited in what types of armor they can wear, though usually not as restricted as mages.

Related to the cleric is the paladin, who is typically a Lawful Good warrior often aligned with a religious order, and who uses his martial skills to advance its holy cause.

Cleric may refer to:

• A member of the clergy
• Cleric (band), an American avant-garde metal band
• Cleric (character class), a character class in fantasy role playing games
  • Cleric (Dungeons & Dragons), the specific character class from that game
• The Clerics, a 2013 Indonesian film
• The butterfly genus Amauris (friars and allies)
• The Cleric, an alien in the Eradicator (comics)
• The Grammaton Clerics in the movie Equilibrium an order of mystic law enforcers

Cleric is an American avant-garde metal band based out of Philadelphia. Formed in 2003, their initial lineup consisted of guitarist Matt Hollenberg, drummer Larry Kwartowitz, vocalist Nick Shellenberger and bassist Chris Weindel. After their first EP Chris Weindel was replaced by James Lynch, who was succeeded by bassist Daniel Ephraim Kennedy in 2012. Informed by metal pioneers such as Meshuggah, Converge, Fantômas, and Neurosis, the band is known for their experimental approach to grindcore, doom and avant-garde metal.