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magisterium

American  
[maj-uh-steer-ee-uhm] / ˌmædʒ əˈstɪər i əm /

noun

Roman Catholic Church.
  1. the authority and power of the church to teach religious truth.


magisterium British  
/ ˌmædʒɪˈstɪərɪəm /

noun

  1. the teaching authority or function of the Roman Catholic 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

Etymology

Origin of magisterium

1585–95; < Latin: magistery

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.

A papal encyclical is part of a pope's "ordinary magisterium", or teaching function, meaning it is authoritative but not infallible.

From Reuters • Jun. 14, 2015

Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City also announced the launch of a private social network for bishops only - a sort of Facebook of the magisterium.

From Reuters • Jun. 14, 2012

“You can go back to the year 400 and see writings in the Catholic magisterium about avoiding scandal.”

From New York Times • Mar. 27, 2010

Meanwhile, a Page One commentary on the Synod in the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano was taking a swipe at "theological speculation," insisting that the "decisive word" comes "uniquely from the magisterium of the church."

From Time Magazine Archive

Gilles was despairing of obtaining from the Devil the recipe for the sovereign magisterium, when Eustache Blanchet's return from Italy was announced.

From Là-bas by Wallace, Keene

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