Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Ecclesiastical.
- n. A minister or priest; a cleric.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Ecclesiastical; specifically, pertaining to the ministry or administration of the church.
- n. In early usage, a member of the orthodox church, as distinguished from Jews, pagans, infidels, and heretics.
- n. One holding an office in the Christian ministry, or otherwise officially consecrated to the service of the church: usually restricted to those connected with an episcopate, and in the middle ages to subordinate officials.
Wiktionary
- adj. Of or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical.
- n. One who adheres to a church-based philosophy.
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Of or pertaining to the church. See ecclesiastical.
- n. A person in holy orders, or consecrated to the service of the church and the ministry of religion; a clergyman; a priest.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)
- n. a clergyman or other person in religious orders
Etymologies
- Late Latin ecclēsiasticus, from Greek ekklēsiastikos, from ekklēsiastēs, a member of the ecclesia; see Ecclesiastes.
Examples
“This talented ecclesiastic is also responsible for restoration of the El Calvario ( "Calvary") Church in Tlalpan, on the outskirts of the Federal District.”
Priest, poet, educator: the multiple talents of Manuel Ponce (1913–1994)
“The titled ecclesiastic and the ambitious statesman should have their warning on this point.”
“The abstruse question of the eternity of the Logos was agitated in ecclesiastic conferences and popular sermons; and the heterodox opinions of Arius 43 were soon made public by his own zeal, and by that of his adversaries.”
“O for a titled ecclesiastic to curse to excommunication that unholy thing!”
“The ecclesiastic was to be a wise and prudent person, and to be informed how little confidence Montigny inspired in the article of faith.”
“Ford had heard a flippant young Frenchman speak of him as an "ancien curé, qui a fait quelque bêtise"; and indeed there was about him that stamp of the ecclesiastic which is sometimes ineffaceable.”
“One minute you're making a sarcastic observation about how Sepp Blatter is rarely seen these days without a white silk scarf draped across his shoulders like some kind of ecclesiastic stole, and next the Light of Nyon is declaring himself Pope of the Holy Fifa Empire and excommunicating dope testers.”
“spiritual person," "ecclesiastic," an injustice has been done, since they have been transferred from the remaining body of Christians to those few who are now, by hurtful custom, called ecclesiastics.”
“A sinner among the saints, his ecclesiastic ecstasies murmur dark humors, spiced amber musk, memoirs from sanity's darkest edge.”
“Madsen had originally opted to exclude ecclesiastic voices, but there was a theologian on the nuclear council in Sweden, whose waste Finland is storing, and to whom Madsen was referred by the Finnish, who told him, "Look Michael, for philosophical questions you have to talk to the Swedish.”
The Huffington Post: Michael Vazquez: Weekend Film: On Into Eternity
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘ecclesiastic’.
-
probablyankita's list
Words are all I have to take your heart away
apartheid, techno-klutz, logorrheic, gordian knot, anodyne, odor of sanctity, finders keepers, foot-in-mouth dis..., dutch uncle, masquerade, smoke signals, furtive glance and 320 more...
-
GRE Barrons Wordlist
A complete Barron's Wordlist for GRE preparation. Your online flashcard replacement.
abase, abash, abate, abbreviate, abdicate, aberrant, aberration, abet, abeyance, abhor, abject, abjure and 4084 more...
Comments
No comments yet...
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.