ecclesiastic
Americannoun
-
a member of the clergy or other person in religious orders.
-
a member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens.
adjective
noun
adjective
Other Word Forms
- antiecclesiastic noun
- nonecclesiastic adjective
- unecclesiastic adjective
Etymology
Origin of ecclesiastic
1475–85; < Late Latin ecclēsiasticus < Greek ekklēsiastikós. See Ecclesiastes, -ic
Explanation
If you’re an ecclesiastic, you probably spend a lot of time in church. The word ecclesiastic describes a member of the clergy, typically someone associated with a Christian church. The word ecclesiastic has origins in the Greek word ekklesiastes, meaning "speaker in an assembly or church," and can be used to describe someone associated with a church, such as a cleric or a priest. When you see an English word that begins with the eccles bit, you can be pretty sure that its meaning will somehow involve religious matters. That’s because ekklēsia is the Greek word for church and it has influenced the spelling of many English words of a religious nature, such as ecclesial, ecclesiolatry, and ecclesiarch.
Vocabulary lists containing ecclesiastic
"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?
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The House of the Spirits
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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.
One would think that such a noble ecclesiastic gathering would be governed by wisdom and good sense.
From Salon • Nov. 22, 2024
In an extraordinary display of papal power, Francis last November fired the Caritas secretary general, Aloysius John; the Caritas president, Filipino Cardinal Antonio Tagle; and Tagle’s vice presidents, the treasurer and ecclesiastic assistant.
From Seattle Times • May 9, 2023
“There is nothing of the sour expecting-damnation ecclesiastic about this expostulator,” wrote Variety critic Robert Landry, who had his fill of Bible-thumping evangelists like Billy Sunday, in 1931.
From Slate • Jan. 21, 2021
In the skies above, a Georgian Orthodox archbishop in full ecclesiastic regalia sat inside a helicopter clutching a framed icon.
From Washington Post • Apr. 9, 2020
All honour to Father Perez, the one sensible ecclesiastic of his nation!
From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 3 by Whymper, Frederick
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.
