ecclesiastic

English

Alternative forms

• ecclesiastick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English ecclesyastyke, from Late Latin ecclēsiasticus (“of the church”), from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησιαστικός (ekklēsiastikós). By surface analysis, ecclesiast +‎ -ic. Doublet of Ecclesiasticus.

Pronunciation

• enPR: ĭ-klē'zē-ăsʹtĭk, IPA^(key): /ɪˌkliː.ziˈæs.tɪk/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æstɪk

Adjective

ecclesiastic (comparative more ecclesiastic, superlative most ecclesiastic)

1. Of or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical.

   Synonyms: churchical, churchlike, ecclesial; see also Thesaurus:ecclesiastical

Usage notes

• The form Ecclesiastical is more commonly used.

Derived terms

• ecclesiastically
• ecclesiasticism
• ecclesiastify
• nonecclesiastic

Related terms

• see Ecclesiastes

Translations

pertaining to the church — see ecclesiastical

Noun

ecclesiastic (plural ecclesiastics)

1. A cleric, especially one in a Christian church.

   Hypernym: cleric

   • 1918, James George Frazer, Folk-Lore In The Old Testament, volume 1, page 134:

     For the priestly historian was a lawyer as well as an ecclesiastic, and as such he took great pains to prove that the friendly relations of God to his people rested on a strictly legal basis.

Translations

one who adheres to a church-based philosophy

• Bulgarian: духовник (bg) m (duhovnik)
• Dutch: geestelijke (nl) m, clericus (nl) m
• Esperanto: religiulo, religiulino (female)
• Estonian: kirikuteener, jumalasulane, vaimulik
• German: Geistlicher (de) m, Geistliche (de) f
• Greek: κληρικός (el) m (klirikós)
• Irish: eaglaiseach m
• Macedonian: ду́ховник m (dúhovnik)
• Manx: agglishagh m