What is "clerk"

Clerk \Clerk\ (kl[~e]rk; in Eng. kl[aum]rk; 277), n. [Either OF. clerc, fr. L. clericus a priest, or AS. clerc, cleric, clerk, priest, fr. L. clericus, fr. Gr. klhriko`s belonging to the clergy, fr. klh^ros lot, allotment, clergy; cf. Deut. xviii. 2. Cf. Clergy.]

1. A clergyman or ecclesiastic. [Obs.]

   All persons were styled clerks that served in the church of Christ.
   --Ayliffe.

2. A man who could read; a scholar; a learned person; a man of letters. [Obs.] ``Every one that could read . . . being accounted a clerk.''
   --Blackstone.

   He was no great clerk, but he was perfectly well versed in the interests of Europe.
   --Burke.

3. A parish officer, being a layman who leads in reading the responses of the Episcopal church service, and otherwise assists in it. [Eng.]
   --Hook.

   And like unlettered clerk still cry ``Amen''.
   --Shak.

4. One employed to keep records or accounts; a scribe; an accountant; as, the clerk of a court; a town clerk.

   The clerk of the crown . . . withdrew the bill.
   --Strype.

   Note: In some cases, clerk is synonymous with secretary. A clerk is always an officer subordinate to a higher officer, board, corporation, or person; whereas a secretary may be either a subordinate or the head of an office or department.

5. An assistant in a shop or store. [U. S.]

"man ordained in the ministry," c.1200, from Old English cleric and Old French clerc "clergyman, priest; scholar, student," both from Church Latin clericus "a priest," noun use of adjective meaning "priestly, belonging to the clerus" (see cleric).\n

\nModern bureaucratic usage is a reminder of the dark ages when clergy alone could read and write and were employed for that skill by secular authorities. In late Old English the word can mean "king's scribe; keeper of accounts;" by c.1200 clerk took on a secondary sense in Middle English (as the cognate word did in Old French) of "anyone who can read or write." This led to the sense "assistant in a business" (c.1500), originally a keeper of accounts, later, especially in American English, "a retail salesman" (1790). Related: Clerkship.

"act as a clerk," 1550s, from clerk (n.). Related: Clerked, clerking.

n. 1 One who occupationally works with records, accounts, letters, etc.; an office worker. 2 A facilitator of a Quaker meeting for business affairs. 3 (lb en archaic) In the Church of England, the layman that assists in the church service, especially in reading the responses (also called ''parish clerk''). vb. To act as a clerk, to perform the duties or functions of a clerk

1. n. an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)

2. a salesperson in a store [syn: salesclerk, shop clerk]

v. work as a clerk, as in the legal business

A clerk ( or ) is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment (a retail clerk). The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service counters, screening solicitors, and other administrative tasks.

Within the Religious Society of Friends, a clerk is someone responsible for various administrative functions within a meeting for worship for church affairs or meeting for worship for business. The clerk is responsible for recording the discernment which a meeting for worship for church affairs has reached, in a minute, and is responsible for sending and receiving correspondence on behalf of the meeting. Within some branches of the Religious Society of Friends, the clerk may also create an agenda and may facilitate the meeting.

Friends record minutes contemporaneously, with each minute written in the meeting for worship for church affairs. At the end of each item, the clerk will present a draft minute, ask the meeting if they accept the minute, and the final minute will only be recorded when all Friends present feel that the minute is an accurate record of what has happened. When members of the meeting accept the minute, they will nod their heads or say "approve", or "hope so" in Britain (see Quaker terminology).

In some Quaker groups, there may be more than one person performing clerking roles, for example the role of facilitating the meeting may be separate from recording minutes. In this case different names may be given to the different clerks - e.g. co-clerk, recording clerk, presiding clerk, assistant clerk, reading clerk, epistle clerk, correspondence clerk.

Some Friends groups, particularly ones who do not have regular minuted meetings for worship for business may have some of the roles usually carried out by a clerk carried out by a correspondent (who is responsible for sending and receiving correspondence on behalf of the meeting) or a convenor (who is responsible for bringing people together for a meeting - this is a term often used for someone who co-ordinates a committee).

In Quaker meetings, there are often committees and temporary working groups that perform duties and oversee activities of the meeting. Most committees will have their own clerk or convenor who will convene meetings and record minutes.

A clerk is someone who works in an office. A retail clerk works in a store.

A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In almost all cases, the actual title of the clerk reflects the type of municipality he or she works for, thus, instead of simply being known as the clerk, the position is generally referred to as the town clerk, township clerk, city clerk, village clerk, borough clerk, board secretary, or county clerk. Other titles also exist. The office has existed for centuries, though in some places it is now being merged with other positions.

The duties of a municipal clerk vary even more than their titles. Particularly in the United States, it is difficult to fully describe a clerk's duties, because there are hundreds of different jobs a clerk may fulfill. In some U.S. states, there are provisions in the state constitutions delineating the clerk's duties, but in other states, each municipality decides for itself what role the clerk plays, or even, if there need be a clerk at all.

The Clerk, Chief Clerk, or Secretary of a chamber or house in a legislature is the senior administrative officer responsible for ensuring that its business runs smoothly. This may encompass keeping custody of documents lain before the house, received, or produced; making records of proceedings; allocating office space; enrolling of members, and administering an oath of office. The Clerk in some cases has a ceremonial role. A Clerk may also advise the speaker or members on parliamentary procedure, acting in American parlance as a " parliamentarian".

In the Westminster system, the Clerk is usually an apolitical civil servant, and typically attains the position through promotion and retains it till retirement.

In the United States, while clerks are usually nonpartisan, they are often elected by the assembly members at the beginning of each term. At the federal level, and typically at state level, the lower House has a "(Chief) Clerk" while the Senate has a "Secretary".

Legislature

Clerk of sole or lower house

Clerk of upper house

Notes

Parliament of Australia

Clerk

Clerk

Parliament of Canada

Clerk

Clerk

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

Clerk

N/A

Unicameral

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Clerk

Clerk of the Parliaments

— National Assembly for Wales

Chief Executive and Clerk

N/A

Unicameral

— Tynwald (Isle of Man)

Clerk

N/A

Unicameral

United States Congress

Clerk

Secretary

Elected every two years.

— California State Legislature

Chief Clerk

Secretary

Elected every two years.

Clerk is a Hindi movie, which was released in 1989. The film was written, produced, directed by and starred Manoj Kumar alongside an ensemble cast including Rekha, Anita Raj, Shashi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Prem Chopra, Sonu Walia as well as Pakistani actors Mohammed Ali and Zeba in their first and only Hindi film appearance. The film did not do well at the box office and was Manoj Kumar's last film featuring him in the leading role. After this film he made one last film appearance playing a small part in Maidan-E-Jung in 1995. This movie has, over the years, been ridiculed for its awful direction and editing.