The position, office, or duties of a chaplain, who is a religious official serving in an institution like a hospital, military unit, or prison.
From chaplain (from Old French chaplain, derived from Latin cappella, 'cloak of Saint Martin') + -cy (suffix forming abstract nouns). The suffix -cy creates nouns denoting office, position, or state.
The word chaplain traces back to Saint Martin of Tours, whose cloak (cappella in Latin) was so sacred it inspired the name for the clergy who guarded it—eventually meaning any religious official in an institution rather than a church.
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