woman of the cloth
1
8.1
- noun
- Many people in the community respect her as a woman of the cloth for her compassionate outreach efforts.
Examples
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That's some heavy talk for a woman of the cloth.
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So if you think that you can just waltz in here and kill my fellow women of the cloth, you've got another thing coming.
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The congregation looked up to her as a wise woman of the cloth who guided them through difficult times.
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As a woman of the cloth, she dedicated her life to helping others and spreading messages of hope.
Synonyms
71
3.6
A group of religious leaders like priests or pastors who lead Christian services
48
3.4
A person who guides a group's religious beliefs and practices
34
7.2
A woman who leads religious ceremonies
24
3.9
A person who guides others in religious beliefs and inner life
10
7.8
A woman who is in charge of a group of nuns in a convent
3
8.7
A woman chosen to help lead and serve in a church
3
8.9
A woman who leads a group of nuns in a convent
1
9.9
A woman who leads a group of nuns
1
8.9
The leader of a religious order who looks after many communities
1
7.0
A woman who is a religious leader in the Christian church
1
9.9
A woman who belongs to a religious community connected to a church
1
9.8
A woman who leads an abbey or convent
Antonyms
How Religious
Surface Forms
Morphology
woman + of + the + cloth
The phrase 'woman of the cloth' uses 'of the cloth' metaphorically to mean a member of the clergy, which is not directly deducible from the literal meanings of 'cloth' and the function words. A B1 learner who knows the constituent words but has not encountered this idiom is unlikely to infer the religious/clergy sense, so the expression is idiomatic rather than transparently compositional.
Etymology
The phrase woman of the cloth comes from the image of church leaders who wear special religious clothes, with cloth meaning those robes. So 'woman of the cloth' means 'a woman who is a church leader'.