chaplain Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a clergyman ministering to some institution

WordNet

Chap"lain noun
Etymology
F. chapelain, fr. LL. capellanus, fr. capella. See Chapel.
Definitions
  1. An ecclesiastic who has a chapel, or who performs religious service in a chapel.
  2. A clergyman who is officially atteched to the army or navy, to some public institution, or to a family or court, for the purpose of performing divine service.
  3. Any person (clergyman or layman) chosen to conduct religious exercises for a society, etc.; as, a chaplain of a Masonic or a temperance lodge.

Webster 1913