Definition of "minister"

minister¹

/ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/

noun
plural ministers
1. (religion) A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.
2. (government) A politician who heads a ministry
  Quotations
  Ministers to kings, whose eyes, ears, and hands they are, must be answerable to God and man.
  1661 (first printed), Francis Bacon, A Letter of Advice to the Duke of Buckingham
3. In diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.
4. A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.
  Quotations
  […], I choſe / Camillo for the miniſter, to poyſon / My friend Polixenes: […]
  c. 1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Winters Tale”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act III, scene ii], page 287, column 2
  And Moſes roſe vp, and his miniſter Ioſhua: and Moſes went vp into the mount of God.
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], Exodus 24:13, column 1

minister²

/ˈmɪn.əˌstɚ/

verb
third-person singular simple present ministers, present participle ministering, simple past and past participle ministered
1. (transitive) To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.
2. (intransitive) To function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship.
3. (transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.
  Quotations
  I do vvell beleeue your Highneſſe, and did it to miniſter occaſion to theſe Gentlemen, […](to give opportunity to these gentlemen)
  1610–1611 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tempest”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, [Act II, scene i], page 7, column 2
  ( […] Now he that miniſtreth ſeede to the ſower, both miniſter bread for your foode, and multiply your ſeede ſowen, and encreaſe the fruites of your righteouſneſſe)
  1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], 2 Corinthians 9:10, column 2
  We minister to God reason to suspect us.
  1651–1653, Jer[emy] Taylor, ΕΝΙΑΥΤΟΣ [Eniautos]. A Course of Sermons for All the Sundays of the Year. […], 2nd edition, London: […] Richard Royston […], published 1655