means A minister is a senior official appointed to lead a government department, or a member of the clergy who leads worship and tends a congregation.

from Straight from Latin minister, meaning 'servant, attendant, subordinate' — itself built on minus, 'less,' so a minister was literally 'the lesser one,' the underling who served. It's the exact mirror of 'magister' (master), which grew from magis, 'more.' The word carried this humble sense into church Latin for those who served God and flock, then into politics for those who served the crown — though, as the essence notes, the servant has acquired rather a lot of limousines along the way. (English 'minus' and 'minister' are thus distant cousins, both rooted in 'less.')