definitions

ecclesiastic

[ ih-klee-zee-as-tik ]
/ ɪˌkli ziˈæs tɪk /
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noun

a member of the clergy or other person in religious orders.
a member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens.

adjective

ecclesiastical.

RELATED WORDS

cleric, pastor, preacher, priest, minister, abbot, prelate, divine, chaplain, parson, reverend

Nearby words

eccles., ecclesia, ecclesial, ecclesiarch, ecclesiastes, ecclesiastic, ecclesiastical, ecclesiastical calendar, ecclesiastical commissioners, ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical society

Origin of ecclesiastic

1475–85; < Late Latin ecclēsiasticus < Greek ekklēsiastikós. See Ecclesiastes, -ic

Related forms

an·ti·ec·cle·si·as·tic, noun, adjectivenon·ec·cle·si·as·tic, adjective, nounun·ec·cle·si·as·tic, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ecclesiastic

British Dictionary definitions for ecclesiastic

ecclesiastic

/ (ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪk) /

noun

a clergyman or other person in holy orders

adjective

of or associated with the Christian Church or clergy
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