ecclesiasticism

American  

[ih-klee-zee-as-tuh-siz-uhm] / ɪˌkli ziˈæs təˌsɪz əm /

noun

1. ecclesiastical principles, practices, or spirit.

2. devotion, especially excessive devotion, to the principles or interests of the church.

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ecclesiasticism British  

/ ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. exaggerated attachment to the practices or principles of the Christian Church

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Other Word Forms

• antiecclesiasticism noun

Etymology

Origin of ecclesiasticism

First recorded in 1860–65; ecclesiastic + -ism

Example Sentences

The piece is about ecclesiasticism, and the big but contained joy that informs the act of creativity—along with power and elegance and modesty.

From The New Yorker

He thus extended the meaning of the word far beyond the narrow range of ecclesiasticism.

From Project Gutenberg

But the moral order is no more a part of ecclesiasticism than earthquakes are.

From Project Gutenberg

It would be amusing if it were not so serious to see men often affecting great learning, themselves not professing orthodoxy, yet vehement for what can only be called Roman ecclesiasticism.

From Project Gutenberg

In truth, nothing could be more natural, for the venue illustrates not only the paramount influence of ecclesiasticism in those days, but also the characteristic tendencies of the East Anglian people.

From Project Gutenberg