catechumen
Americannoun
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Ecclesiastical. a person under instruction in the rudiments of Christianity, as in the early church; a neophyte.
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a person being taught the elementary facts, principles, etc., of any subject.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of catechumen
1325–75; < Late Latin catēchūmenus < Greek katēchoúmenos (one who is) being taught orally, equivalent to katēche-, stem of katēcheîn to teach orally ( see catechist) + -omenos middle present participle suffix; replacing Middle English cathecumyn < Middle French cathecumine < Late Latin, as above
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.
Later, recounting his fruitless sessions with his hopeless catechumen, Father Mowbray tells the matriarch how he tried to explain to Mottram the concept of papal infallibility:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Thereupon she called her brother to her, and that catechumen, and spoke to them, saying: Stand fast in the faith, and love you all one another; and be not offended because of our passion.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
Born of heathen parents, he turned to Christ and became a catechumen.
From Time Magazine Archive
Those who suffered with her were, Felicitas, a married lady, big with child at the time of her being apprehended; and Revocatus, catechumen of Carthage, and a slave.
From Fox's Book of Martyrs Or A History of the Lives, Sufferings, and Triumphant Deaths of the Primitive Protestant Martyrs by John Foxe
He then had recourse to another means of escape, urging that he was only a catechumen and could not lawfully be elected a bishop.
From Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 3 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History by Charles F. (Charles Francis) Horne
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