chaplain

See also: Chaplain and chap'lain

English

Etymology

From Middle English chapeleyn, from Old French chapelain, from Medieval Latin, Late Latin cappellānus, from cappella. Doublet of capelin. Displaced Old English handprēost.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃæp.lɪn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

chaplain (plural chaplains)

1. A member of a religious body who is (often, although not always, of the clergy) officially assigned to provide pastoral care at an institution, group, private chapel, etc.
   • 2021 September 8, Stefanie Foster, “Network News: Countdown is on to the National Rail Awards 2021”, in RAIL, number 939, page 19:

     The Railway Mission's regionally based chaplains perform the role of impartial 'friend' to anyone working on the railway, regardless of their faith.

2. A person without religious affiliation who carries out similar duties in a secular context.

Derived terms

• chaplaincy
• college chaplain
• domestic chaplain
• football chaplain
• hospital chaplain
• lay chaplain
• military chaplain
• naval chaplain
• prison chaplain
• school chaplain
• sports chaplain
• street chaplain

Translations

member of a religious body

• Arabic: قِسِّيس (ar) m (qissīs), قَسّ m (qass), قِسّ m (qiss), كَاهِن m (kāhin)
• Bulgarian: капела́н m (kapelán)
• Catalan: capellà (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 牧師／牧师 (zh) (mùshī)

• Czech: kaplan (cs) m
• Danish: kapellan c
• Dutch: kapelaan (nl) m
• Finnish: kappalainen (fi)
• French: aumônier (fr), chapelain (fr) m
• Galician: capelán (gl) m
• German: Kaplan (de) m, Kaplanin f, Seelsorger (de) m, Seelsorgerin (de) f, Gefängnisseelsorger m (prison), Gefängnisseelsorgerin f (prison), Krankenhausseelsorger m (hospital), Krankenhausseelsorgerin f (hospital)
• Hungarian: káplán (hu)
• Italian: cappellano (it) m
• Japanese: チャプレン (chapuren), チャップレン (chappuren), 軍僧 (ぐんそう, gunsō), 牧師 (ja) (ぼくし, bokushi)
• Macedonian: капела́н m (kapelán)
• Maori: tiaparani
• Middle English: chapeleyn
• Norman: aumônyi m
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kapellan m, (military) feltprest m

  Nynorsk: kapellan m, (military) feltprest m

• Old English: handprēost m
• Old Portuguese: capelan m
• Polish: kapelan (pl) m
• Portuguese: capelão (pt) m
• Russian: капелла́н (ru) m (kapellán)
• Spanish: capellán (es) m
• Swedish: kaplan (sv) c
• Tagalog: kapelyan
• Ukrainian: капела́н (uk) m (kapelán), капеля́н (uk) m (kapelján)