Maronite

American

[mar-uh-nahyt] / ˈmær əˌnaɪt /

noun

a member of a body of Uniates living chiefly in Lebanon, who maintain a Syriac liturgy and a married clergy, and who are governed by the patriarch of Antioch.

Maronite British

/ ˈmærəˌnaɪt /

noun

Christianity a member of a body of Uniats of Syrian origin, now living chiefly in Lebanon

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Maronite

1505–15; < Late Latin Marōnīta, named after St. Maron, 4th-century monk, founder of the sect; see -ite ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

By convention, Lebanon’s president must be from the Maronite Church, part of the Catholic Church.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

He will also hold a special meeting with those aged 16 to 35 in Bkerke, north of Beirut, where the patriarchate of Lebanon's Maronite Church is located.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

It was all caught on a live stream - beamed out over the internet to the local congregation and beyond, the news spreading quickly in Assyrian, Maronite, Catholic and Coptic Christian communities.

From BBC • Apr. 17, 2024

Father Sandi Habib leads a Sunday prayer service in a makeshift worship area in the basement of the Mar Maroun Maronite Church in Jish, Israel.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 15, 2023

In the descent we passed a Maronite priest riding, attended by a guide on foot; the former was greeted by our party with his title of Abuna, a novelty to us Jerusalemites.

From Byeways in Palestine by Finn, James

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023