ecclesiastic
/ɪˌkliː.ziˈæs.tɪk/ adjective, noun
Forms ecclesiastics ecclesiastick
- adjective Of or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical.
- noun A cleric, especially one in a Christian church.
Synonyms
churchical churchlike ecclesial churchish churchly churchy ecclesiastical cleric churchman divine
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.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or pertaining to the church. See Ecclesiastical.
- noun A person in holy orders, or consecrated to the service of the church and the ministry of religion; a clergyman; a priest.
Etymology [L. ecclesiasticus, Gr. Ex-, and Hale, v. t., Haul.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “ecclesiastic”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details