catechism

English

Alternative forms

• categise (eye dialect, archaic, rare)

Etymology

From Late Latin catechismus, from Ancient Greek *κατηχισμός (*katēkhismós), from κατηχίζω (katēkhízō, “to catechize”), a later extended form of κατηχέω (katēkhéō, “to catechize, instruct, teach by word of mouth”), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἠχέω (ēkhéō, “to sound, resound”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkætɪˌkɪzəm/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

Noun

catechism (plural catechisms)

1. A book, in question and answer form, summarizing the basic principles of Christianity.
2. A basic manual in some subject.
3. A set of questions designed to determine knowledge.
   • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 43:

     ...the walls were covered with paper, whose original colour and pattern had long since merged in a dingy brown; over this were hung up some unframed drawings, and some shelves on which were ranged all the old school books, grammars, Pinnock's catechisms, and one or two French novels that had belonged to a former governess.

   • 1925, Countee Cullen, Yet Do I Marvel‎^[1]:

     Inscrutable His ways are, and immune
     To catechism by a mind too strewn
     With petty cares to slightly understand
     What awful brain compels His awful hand.

   • 1925, Agatha Christie, The Secret of Chimneys:

     Miss Taylor kept by his side, and resumed her catechism. “Is it a long time since you saw your friend?” “Just over seven years.”

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with cataclysm.

Derived terms

• catechismal

Related terms

• catechesis
• catechetical
• catechist
• catechistic
• catechize
• catechumen

Translations

book summarizing the principles of Christianity

• Asturian: catecismu m
• Belarusian: катэхі́зіс (katexízis)
• Catalan: catecisme m
• Chichewa: katekisima
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 教義問答 / 教义问答 (jiàoyì wèndá)

• Czech: katechismus m, katechizmus m
• Danish: katekismus n
• Dutch: catechismus (nl) m
• Esperanto: katekismo
• Finnish: katekismus (fi)
• French: catéchisme (fr) m
• Galician: catecismo (gl) m
• German: Katechismus (de) m
• Greek: κατήχηση (el) f (katíchisi)
• Hungarian: katekizmus (hu)
• Indonesian: katekismus (id)
• Irish: teagasc Críostaí m
• Italian: catechismo (it) m
• Japanese: カテキズム (katekizumu), 公教要理 (こうきょうようり, kōkyō yōri)
• Latvian: katehisms m, katķisms m
• Macedonian: катихи́зис m (katihízis)
• Māori: katikīhama
• Marshallese: baibōļ (figurative)
• Norman: caticème m (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: katekisme m or f

  Nynorsk: katekisme f

• Polish: katechizm (pl) m
• Portuguese: catecismo (pt) m
• Romanian: catehism (ro) n
• Russian: катехи́зис (ru) m (katexízis)
• Scottish Gaelic: leabhar-cheist m
• Spanish: catecismo (es) m
• Swahili: katekisimu (sw)
• Swedish: katekes (sv) c
• Ukrainian: катехі́зис m (katexízys)

set of questions

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 問答集 / 问答集 (zh) (wèndájí)

• Greek: κατήχηση (el) f (katíchisi)

Further reading

• “catechism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin Eli Smith, editors (1895–1910), “catechism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.

Anagrams

• schematic

Romanian

Noun

catechism n (plural catechisme)

1. obsolete form of catehism

Declension

	singular		plural
	indefinite	definite	indefinite	definite
nominative-accusative	catechism	catechismul	catechisme	catechismele
genitive-dative	catechism	catechismului	catechisme	catechismelor
vocative	catechismule		catechismelor

References

• catechism in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN