Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. The principal church of a bishop's diocese, containing the episcopal throne.
- n. A large, important church.
- n. Something that resembles a cathedral, as in grandeur or authority.
- adj. Of, relating to, or containing a bishop's throne: a cathedral church.
- adj. Relating to or issuing from a chair of office or authority; authoritative.
- adj. Of, relating to, or resembling a cathedral: tall trees whose branches met to form cathedral arches over the path.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Containing a bishop's seat, or used especially for episcopal services; serving or adapted for use as a cathedral: as, a cathedral church.
- Pertaining to a cathedral; connected with or suggesting a cathedral; characteristic of cathedrals: as, a cathedral service; cathedral music; the cathedral walks of a forest.
- Emanating from or relating to a chair of office or official position; hence, having or displaying authority; authoritative.
- n. The principal church in a diocese, which is specially the church of the bishop: so called from the fact that it contains the episcopal chair or cathedra. Many cathedrals, particularly the French and Italian, furnish the most magnificent examples of the architecture of the middle ages. Those in England are among the most interesting, though, unlike the continental cathedrals, they were designed originally, almost without exception, not as metropolitan, but as monastic churches. The cut shows the arrangement of the various parts in Wells cathedral, one of the most beautiful in England. For the official establishment of a cathedral, see
chapter , 2.
Wiktionary
- n. A big church building, central place for some area.
- n. The principal church of a bishop's diocese which contains an episcopal throne.
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. The principal church in a diocese, so called because in it the bishop has his official chair (
Cathedra ) or throne. - adj. Pertaining to the head church of a diocese.
- adj. Emanating from the chair of office, as of a pope or bishop; official; authoritative.
- adj. Resembling the aisles of a cathedral.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. relating to or containing or issuing from a bishop's office or throne
- n. the principal Christian church building of a bishop's diocese
- n. any large and important church
Etymologies
- Short for cathedral church, from Middle English cathedral, of a diocese, from Old French, from Medieval Latin cathedrālis, of a bishop's see, from Latin cathedra, chair; see cathedra.
Examples
“She had a two-storey apartment, and in part of it they'd gone right through the ceiling to make what they call a cathedral ceiling.”
Michael Henry Adams: Great Houses of New York: River House, the Best Address, Part IV
“Alongside the cathedral is a more modern branch of a bank that replaced a fantastically Moorish cinema building - long since demolished.”
“In the cathedral is the tomb of the Emperor Yturbide, and superb paintings, some by”
“- A U.S. artist has unveiled a vast mural to what he called a cathedral of science …”
“Buildings often resemble cathedrals [presumably Gothic churches -- we all know "cathedral" is not an architectural term, right?].”
Your One-Stop Catholic Shop for All Things "The Golden Compass"
“The term cathedral in medieval times meant “the church of a bishop,” a shortening of the Latin phrase ecclesia cathedralis, literally “church of a bishop’s seat.””
Rambles at starchamber.com » Blog Archive » What’s in a name?
“This metaphysical sensitivity characterizes the medieval artistic vision, so that the Gothic cathedral is not to be primarily understood in functional or socio-economic or aesthetic terms, but in metaphysical and theological terms, and one has to ask what truth the cathedral symbolizes; how does God communicate with us in its beauty and form?”
The Theology and Metaphysics of the Gothic Cathedral - part 1
“The cathedral was built, as most cathedrals in the German Empire at that time, with two choirs, an east choir for the high altar, and a west choir were the Emperor and his court would assist (remember that the Roman Emperors of the middle ages had no fixed capital, but moved from city to city; actually, Bamberg cathedral is not exactly oriented, thus the east choir is actually east-northeast, and west choir west-southwest).”
“As already mentioned in the installment about Bamberg Cathedral, this cathedral is distinguished by containing the only tomb of a pope north of the Alps. The Pope buried there is Clement II.”
Catholic Bamberg: The Vestments of Pope Clement II and Other Treasures from the Diocesan Museum
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘cathedral’.
-
Words I like
A list contrived for the sole purpose of storing words I like to include in my writing; words that inspire or carry power for me.
contrite, meadow, sward, ossary, calumny, moribund, necropolis, chthonic, murmur, erstwhile, chime, beryl and 29 more...
-
Buildings
castle, palace, temple, cathedral, church, fortress, tower, hut
Comments
No comments yet...
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.