The word is derived from Latin monasterium and was used for the church belonging to a monastery or a chapter. In the United Kingdom there are: York Minster, Beverley Minster, Southwell Minster, Wimborne Minster, Peterborough Minster, Reading Minster, Sunderland Minster, Iwerne Minster, Stow Minster, Dewsbury Minster, Berkeley Minster, Tewkesbury Minster, South Elmham Minster, Howden Minster, St. Botolf's Minster (Iken, Suffolk).
In the case of the Minster at Ulm, Germany, it was used for a particularly prosperous parish church boasting a plethora of clergy.
In other places in Europe, "minster" has become simply a historical term for a particular church, e.g. the minsters of Strasbourg (France); Basel and Bern (Switzerland); Bonn, Essen, Freiburg, Aachen, Hameln, Doberan (all Germany).
See also: Munster (disambiguation) for many related place names (includes Minster, Münster).