definitions

catechumen

[ kat-i-kyoo-muh n ]
/ ˌkæt ɪˈkyu mən /
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR catechumen ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Ecclesiastical. a person under instruction in the rudiments of Christianity, as in the early church; a neophyte.
a person being taught the elementary facts, principles, etc., of any subject.

RELATED WORDS

pupil, beginner, trainee, undergraduate, senior, learner, student, novice, neophyte, newcomer, follower, disciple, enthusiast, devotee, adherent, fanatic, apostle, cohort, zealot, buff

Nearby words

catechist, catechize, catechol, catecholamine, catechu, catechumen, categorematic, categorial, categorial grammar, categoric contact, categorical

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

Related forms

cat·e·chu·me·nal, cat·e·chu·men·i·cal [kat-i-kyoo-men-i-kuh l] /ˌkæt ɪ kyuˈmɛn ɪ kəl/, adjectivecat·e·chu·men·i·cal·ly, adverbcat·e·chu·me·nate [kat-i-kyoo-muh-neyt, -nit] /ˌkæt ɪˈkyu məˌneɪt, -nɪt/, nouncat·e·chu·men·ism, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for catechumen

catechumen

/ (ˌkætɪˈkjuːmɛn) /

noun

Christianity a person, esp in the early Church, undergoing instruction prior to baptism

Derived Forms

catechumenal or catechumenical (ˌkætəkjʊˈmɛnɪkəl), adjectivecatechumenate, nouncatechumenism, noun

Word Origin for catechumen

C15: via Old French, from Late Latin, from Greek katēkhoumenos one being instructed verbally, from katēkhein; see catechize
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