decretal
Americanadjective
noun
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a papal decree authoritatively determining some point of doctrine or church law.
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Decretals, the body or collection of such decrees as a part of the canon law.
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of decretal
1350–1400; Middle English < Old French < Late Latin dēcrētālis fixed by decree, equivalent to dēcrēt ( um ) decree + -ālis -al 1
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.
At last came Gregory IX., enemy of the emperors and kings, who by a decree made marriage an unshakeable yoke; his decretal became the law of Europe.
From Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire
This is compiled from the opinions of the antient Latin fathers, the decrees of general councils, the decretal epistles and bulles of the holy see.
From Commentaries on the Laws of England Book the First by Blackstone, William, Sir
This was not a decretal commission; it did not bind the Pope or prevent him from revoking the case.
From Henry VIII. by Pollard, A. F. (Albert Frederick)
The decretal may be found in the Corpus Juris Canonica, Tome II., which was published at Lyons in 1779.
From The Popes and Science The History of the Papal Relations to Science During the Middle Ages and Down to Our Own Time by Walsh, James J.
Being on the spot he was able to measure the danger of disappointing the King after the secret commission, the secret decretal, and the Pope’s private letter telling Henry that he was right.
From The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon The Story as Told by the Imperial Ambassadors Resident at the Court of Henry VIII by Froude, J.A.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
