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catechumen

[kat-i-kyoo-muh n]
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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

  1. catechist,
  2. catechize,
  3. catechol,
  4. catecholamine,
  5. catechu,
  6. categorematic,
  7. categorial,
  8. categorial grammar,
  9. categoric contact,
  10. 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 formscat·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

noun

Christianity a person, esp in the early Church, undergoing instruction prior to baptism
Derived Formscatechumenal 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
Word Origin and History for catechumen

catechumen

n.

"new convert," 15c., from French catéchumène, from Church Latin catechumenus, from Greek katekhoumenos "one being instructed," passive present participle of katekhein (see catechesis).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper