[usu. treated as pl.]the body of all people ordained for religious duties, especially in the Christian Church (尤指基督教的)全体牧师 all marriages were to be solemnized by the clergy. 那时所有的婚姻都由牧师主持成礼。
语源
Middle English: from Old French, based on ecclesiastical Latin clericus 'clergyman' (see cleric)