catechism

noun cat·e·chism \ ˈka-tə-ˌki-zəm \

1 : oral instruction

2 : a manual for catechizing (see catechize 1); specifically : a summary of religious doctrine often in the form of questions and answers

3 a : a set of formal questions put as a test

b : something resembling a catechism especially in being a rote response or formulaic statement

The cook often consulted the latest nutritional catechism for advice.

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catechismal

play \ˌka-tə-ˈkiz-məl\ adjective

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catechistic

play \-ˈkis-tik\ adjective

See catechism defined for English-language learners

See catechism defined for kids

Examples of catechism in a Sentence

They went to school to learn their catechism.
He taught catechism at Sunday school.

Recent Examples of catechism from the Web

Bill and Jean moved to West Hartford in 1976 where Bill was active at St. Peter Claver Church, teaching catechism classes, joyfully singing in the choir and planning events at Holy Family Retreat Center with the men's retreat league.

— courant.com, "William S. Graham," 22 Apr. 2018
Mother Cabrini began her service in New York in 1889, organizing catechism and education classes for Italian immigrants and soliciting donors to help her establish schools and orphanages.

— joyce rudolph, latimes.com, "Community: Cabrini Guild creates harmony with charities for 75 years," 10 Apr. 2018
These magnificent paintings-on-glass, in churches in Western Europe, played a huge role in teaching the mostly illiterate masses church catechism, Wight says.

— doug main, The Atlantic, "Humankind’s Most Important Material," 7 Apr. 2018
Its adherents might squabble, but their differences lead them back, eventually, to a mutual inheritance: the words of Jesus in the Gospels, the lives of the saints, the rhythms of the liturgy, the catechism of the Church.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Will Pope Francis Cause a Schism in the Catholic Church?," 7 Sep. 2015
According to Catholic catechism, the soul of an unrepentant sinner will go to hell and suffer in eternal fire, the BBC reported.

— natalie dreier, ajc, "Did Pope Francis really say there is no hell?," 30 Mar. 2018
The pope accompanied those words, which specifically referred to the situation of gay priests, with a reference to the Catholic catechism’s prohibition against unjust discrimination against gay people.

— francis x. rocca, WSJ, "‘There Is No Hell’: An Untraditional Pope, an Italian Journalist and the Quote Igniting Controversy," 30 Mar. 2018
But the formal nature of the Catholic catechism has made any official papal pronouncement on the matter tricky.

— tara isabella burton, Vox, "Pope Francis reportedly denies the existence of hell. Vatican panics.," 30 Mar. 2018
According to the Mail, the Archbishop may have also worked with Markle to study the catechism ahead of the ceremony, which was held in the Chapel Royal at St. James' Palace.

— refinery29.com, "Why Meghan Markle Converted To Marry Prince Harry," 8 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catechism.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of catechism

see catechesis

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1502

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Education Terms

baccalaureate, colloquium, corequisite, dissertation, monograph, pedant, practicum, survey course, thesis

CATECHISM Defined for English Language Learners

catechism

noun

: a collection of questions and answers that are used to teach people about the Christian religion
: a book that explains the beliefs of the Christian religion by using a list of questions and answers