Maronite

American

[mar-uh-nahyt] / ˈmær əˌnaɪt /

noun

a member of a body of Uniates living chiefly in Lebanon, who maintain a Syriac liturgy and a married clergy, and who are governed by the patriarch of Antioch.

Maronite British

/ ˈmærəˌnaɪt /

noun

Christianity a member of a body of Uniats of Syrian origin, now living chiefly in Lebanon

"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 Maronite

1505–15; < Late Latin Marōnīta, named after St. Maron, 4th-century monk, founder of the sect; see -ite ¹

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.

By convention, Lebanon’s president must be from the Maronite Church, part of the Catholic Church.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 1, 2025

He will also hold a special meeting with those aged 16 to 35 in Bkerke, north of Beirut, where the patriarchate of Lebanon's Maronite Church is located.

From Barron's • Nov. 26, 2025

Gebran Bassil, the leader of Lebanon's biggest Maronite Christian bloc, called him the "face of reform".

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2025

As it stands, it was just in time, said Father George Al-Amil, a Maronite priest in Ain Ebel.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2024

Eastern-Rite Churches, such as the Maronite Church and the Ukrainian Catholic Church, are in communion with Rome although they preserve their own worship traditions and their immediate hierarchy consists of clergy within their own rite.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency

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