magisterium

American

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

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

the authority and power of the church to teach religious truth.

magisterium British

/ ˌmædʒɪˈstɪərɪəm /

noun

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

"The magisterium possesses the charisma representing the unity of Christ."

From Time Magazine Archive

One magisterium; a chymical term expressive of the highest powers of transmutation, and sometimes used for any masterly performance.—S.

From A Select Collection of Old English Plays, Volume 1 by Hazlitt, William Carew

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023