ecclesiasticism

[ ih-klee-zee-as-tuh-siz-uh m ]

/ ɪˌkli ziˈæs təˌsɪz əm /

noun

ecclesiastical principles, practices, or spirit.

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

Nearby words

ecclesiastical, ecclesiastical calendar, ecclesiastical commissioners, ecclesiastical court, ecclesiastical society, ecclesiasticism, ecclesiasticus, ecclesiolatry, ecclesiology, ecclestone, ecclus.

Origin of ecclesiasticism

First recorded in 1860–65; ecclesiastic + -ism

Related forms

an·ti·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cism, noun

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

Examples from the Web for ecclesiasticism

Naturally, all these considerations brought the forces of ecclesiasticism against the innovators in anatomy.
History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom|Andrew Dickson White
Only the Anabaptists held the primitive Christian and the American doctrine of the separation of politics from ecclesiasticism.
The Religions of Japan|William Elliot Griffis
And this is exactly parallel with what ecclesiasticism has done and is doing with the same results.
The Last Reformation|F. G. [Frederick George] Smith
We may be sure, then, that the ideal of ecclesiasticism is not solely responsible for the scientific stasis of the dark age.
A History of Science, Volume 2(of 5)|Henry Smith Williams

No matter what the subject may be, there is usually a smack of ecclesiasticism in the ordinary give-and-take of conversation.
Literary Tours in The Highlands and Islands of Scotland|Daniel Turner Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for ecclesiasticism

ecclesiasticism

/ (ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪˌsɪzəm) /

noun

exaggerated attachment to the practices or principles of the Christian Church

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