ecclesiastical

[ ih-klee-zee-as-ti-kuh l ]

/ ɪˌkli ziˈæs tɪ kəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ecclesiastical ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to the church or the clergy; churchly; clerical; not secular.

Nearby words

Origin of ecclesiastical

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at Ecclesiastes, -ical

Related forms

ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverban·ti·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjectivean·ti·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverbin·ter·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjective

in·ter·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjectivenon·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverbun·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ecclesiastical

So here, for your Christmas Eve pleasure, are 20 of my favorites, 10 from the ecclesiastical division and 10 secular.
Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing.|Michael Tomasky|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rev. Schaefer stands in a long tradition of civil disobedience, or in this case, ecclesiastical disobedience.
Love Trumped Rules for Fired Methodist Rev. Frank Schaefer|Gene Robinson|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It seems that Bush is simply taking a stab at landscapes and ecclesiastical architecture.
George W. Bush ‘Comes Out’ As Artist|Lizzie Crocker|February 8, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Wordsworth, until he began the Ecclesiastical Sonnets, was betrayed by his "penchant for paradox."
The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920|Various

As an ecclesiastical symbol it has remained consistent to the present day.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6|Various
But they will be so modified and supplemented that they will present an ecclesiastical type of their own.
India, Its Life and Thought|John P. Jones
It had an ecclesiastical sign,—the Mitre,—and a bar that seemed to be the next best thing to a bishopric, it was so snug.
The Holly-Tree|Charles Dickens
It almost coincided with the line of demarcation between the two ecclesiastical dioceses into which the island was divided.
The History of Cuba, vol. 4|Willis Fletcher Johnson

British Dictionary definitions for ecclesiastical

ecclesiastical

/ (ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪkəl) /

adjective

of or relating to the Christian Church

Derived Formsecclesiastically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for ecclesiastical

ecclesiastical

adj.

early 15c., from ecclesiastic + -al (1). Related: Ecclesiastically.

ecclesiastical

adjective

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Nearby words

Origin of ecclesiastical

Examples from the Web for ecclesiastical

ecclesiastical

adjective

ecclesiastical