catechumen
[ kat-i-kyoo-muhn ]
/ ˌkæt ɪˈkyu mən /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON AFFECT VS. EFFECT!
In effect, this quiz will prove whether or not you have the skills to know the difference between “affect” and “effect.”
Question 1 of 7
The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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, nounDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for catechumen
The long probation called “abstinence” which led up to it is a survival of the primitive catechumenate with its scrutinies.
About the year 300, those desirous of being baptized were (a) admitted to the catechumenate, giving in their names to the bishop.
These two rites really begin the catechumenate or period of instruction in the faith and discipline of the church.
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, nounWord 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