ecclesiastic

Ecclesiastic — Ec*cle si*as tic (?; 277), a. [L. ecclesiasticus, Gr. ?, fr. ? an assembly of citizens called out by the crier; also, the church, fr. ? called out, fr. ? to call out; ek out + ? to call. See {Ex }, and {Hale}, v. t., {Haul}.] Of or pertaining to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

Ecclesiastic — Ec*cle si*as tic, n. A person in holy orders, or consecrated to the service of the church and the ministry of religion; a clergyman; a priest. [1913 Webster] From a humble ecclesiastic, he was subsequently preferred to the highest dignities of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

ecclesiastic — (adj.) late 15c., from M.Fr. ecclésiastique and directly from L.L. ecclesiasticus, from Gk. ekklesiastikos of the (ancient Athenian) assembly, later, of the church, from ekklesiastes speaker in an assembly or church, preacher, from ekkalein to… …   Etymology dictionary

ecclesiastic — [e klē΄zē as′tik, iklē΄zē as′tik] adj. [LL(Ec) ecclesiasticus < Gr ekklēsiastikos: see ECCLESIA] ECCLESIASTICAL n. a member of the clergy …   English World dictionary

ecclesiastic — I UK [ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪk] / US [ɪˌklɪzɪˈæstɪk] noun [countable] Word forms ecclesiastic : singular ecclesiastic plural ecclesiastics formal a Christian priest, minister etc II See: ecclesiastical …   English dictionary

ecclesiastic — [[t]ɪkli͟ːziæ̱stɪk[/t]] ecclesiastics N COUNT An ecclesiastic is a priest or clergyman in the Christian Church. [FORMAL] …   English dictionary

ecclesiastic — noun a high ecclesiastic See clergy …   Thesaurus of popular words

ecclesiastic — I. adjective Date: 15th century ecclesiastical II. noun Date: 1651 clergyman …   New Collegiate Dictionary

ecclesiastic — /i klee zee as tik/, n. 1. a member of the clergy or other person in religious orders. 2. a member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens. adj. 3. ecclesiastical. [1475 85; < LL ecclesiasticus < Gk ekklesiastikós. See ECCLESIASTES, IC] * * * …   Universalium

ecclesiastic — 1. adjective /əkliziˈæstɪk/ Of or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical. 2. noun /əkliziˈæstɪk/ One who adheres to a church based philosophy …   Wiktionary

ecclesiastic — Synonyms and related words: DD, Doctor of Divinity, Holy Joe, abbe, chaplain, churchman, clergyman, cleric, clerical, clerk, curate, cure, divine, man of God, military chaplain, minister, padre, parson, pastor, preacher, rector, reverend, servant …   Moby Thesaurus