catechumen

[ kat-i-kyoo-muhn ]

/ ˌkæt ɪˈkyu mən /

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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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM catechumen

cat·e·chu·me·nal, cat·e·chu·men·i·cal

[kat-i-kyoo-men-i-kuhl], /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

Words nearby catechumen

catechist, catechize, catechol, catecholamine, catechu, catechumen, categorematic, categorial, categorial grammar, categorical, categorical imperative

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use catechumen in a sentence

And this much, we believe, should be demanded of each catechumen before he is admitted to the rite of confirmation.
The Way of Salvation in the Lutheran Church|G. H. Gerberding
The missionary found no one who did not give a high encomium to the young catechumen.
The Life and Times of Kateri Tekakwitha|Ellen H. Walworth
Onesimus had not been baptised with them, though he had learnt something of Christianity as a young catechumen.
Darkness and Dawn|Frederic W. Farrar
In the opinion of prominent theologians, a mere catechumen can, under certain circumstances, be a member of the Church.
The Catholic World; Volume I, Issues 1-6|E. Rameur

The grey-haired patriarch laid his hand upon the new catechumen's head, and the dying God looked in benediction upon them all.
A Christian But a Roman|Mr Jkai

British Dictionary definitions for catechumen

catechumen

/ (ˌkætɪˈkjuːmɛn) /

noun

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

Derived forms of catechumen

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

catechumen

Origin of catechumen

OTHER WORDS FROM catechumen

Words nearby catechumen

Words related to catechumen

How to use catechumen in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for catechumen

Derived forms of catechumen

Word Origin for catechumen