Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

church father

American  

noun

  1. father.


Etymology

Origin of church father

First recorded in 1855–60


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.

See Examples For:

This is the common paraphrase of an argument by Tertullian, an early church father.

From Salon ● Apr. 5, 2025

They include volumes like a Greek first edition of liturgies of John Chrysostom, an early church father, printed in Rome in 1526.

From New York Times ● Jan. 1, 2022

The church father Tertullian insisted that the blood of the martyrs was the seed of the Roman Catholic Church.

From New York Times ● Feb. 16, 2021

In one of his works he criticizes another church father, Origen, for holding that the body is a prison.

From Time Magazine Archive

Ever since the days when Willem was studying church history, I had remembered the venerable fourth-century church father, Eusebius.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training