disfellowship

[ dis-fel-oh-ship ]
/ dɪsˈfɛl oʊˌʃɪp /

noun

(in some Protestant religions) the status of a member who, because of some serious infraction of church policy, has been denied the church's sacraments and any post of responsibility and is officially shunned by other members.

verb (used with object), dis·fel·low·shiped, dis·fel·low·ship·ing or (especially British) dis·fel·low·shipped, dis·fel·low·ship·ping.

to place in the status of disfellowship.

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DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
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decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of disfellowship

First recorded in 1600–10; dis-1 + fellowship

Words nearby disfellowship

diseur, diseuse, disfavor, disfavour, disfeature, disfellowship, disfigure, disfigurement, disfluency, disforest, disfranchise
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for disfellowship

  • Churches did not disfellowship each other over the organ question, but many congregations divided on it.

    An American Religious Movement|Winfred Ernest Douglas

British Dictionary definitions for disfellowship

disfellowship
/ (ˌdɪsˈfɛləʊʃɪp) /

verb -ships, -shipping or -shipped or US -ships, -shiping or -shiped (tr)

to excommunicate
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