Main Entry: ¹sec·u·lar

Pronunciation: \ˈse-kyə-lər\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French seculer, from Late Latin saecularis, from saeculum the present world, from Latin, generation, age, century, world; akin to Welsh hoedl lifetime

Date: 14th century

1 a : of or relating to the worldly or temporal <secular concerns> b : not overtly or specifically religious <secular music> c : not ecclesiastical or clerical <secular courts> <secular landowners>
2 : not bound by monastic vows or rules; specifically : of, relating to, or forming clergy not belonging to a religious order or congregation <a secular priest>
3 a : occurring once in an age or a century b : existing or continuing through ages or centuries c : of or relating to a long term of indefinite duration <secular inflation>

— sec·u·lar·i·ty \ˌse-kyə-ˈla-rə-tē\ noun

— sec·u·lar·ly \ˈse-kyə-lər-lē\ adverb