congregation
UK /ˌkɒŋɡɹɪˈɡeɪʃən/ · US /ˌkɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃən/ noun
Forms congregations
- noun The act of congregating or collecting together.
- noun A gathering of faithful in a temple, church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship, especially those present at a devotional service or who regularly attend such services, particularly in contrast to the leadership, choir or others.
- noun A Roman Congregation, a main department of the Vatican administration of the Catholic Church.
- noun A corporate body whose members gather for worship, or the members of such a body.
- noun Any large gathering of people.
- noun A flock of birds.
- noun (collective noun) A group of alligators or crocodiles.
- noun (UK, Oxford University) The main body of university staff, comprising academics, administrative staff, heads of colleges, etc.
Synonyms
Etymology
From Middle English congregacioun, from Old French congregacion, from Latin congregātiō, itself from congregō (“to herd into a flock”). Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church. By surface analysis, congregate + -ion.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The act of congregating, or bringing together, or of collecting into one aggregate or mass.
- noun A collection or mass of separate things.
Etymology [L. congregatio: cf. F. congrégation.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “congregation”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details