ecclesiastical

adjective

ec·​cle·​si·​as·​ti·​cal i-ˌklē-zē-ˈa-sti-kəl How to pronounce ecclesiastical (audio)
e-ˌklē-
1
: of or relating to a church especially as an established institution
2
: suitable for use in a church
ecclesiastically adverb

Examples of ecclesiastical in a Sentence

ecclesiastical laws that have been in existence for centuries
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Because the actual date of the spring equinox can differ by a day or two, the Catholic Church created a fixed date of March 21 to define it, known as the ecclesiastical equinox. Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 The first, known as the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, argued the SBC is exempt from a court outside the denomination ruling on an internal church disciplinary matter. Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025 In an initial ruling in March, Walsh sided with the OCA, the largest of three Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical bodies in the United States. Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025 That changed with ecclesiastical reforms introduced under Pope Gregory X, who mandated a minimum 10-day waiting period to allow time for prayer and reflection—and for distant cardinals to travel to Rome. Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for ecclesiastical

Word History

Etymology

Middle English ecclesiasticall, from Late Latin ecclēsiasticus "of the Christian Church" + Middle English -all -al entry 1 — more at ecclesiastic entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of ecclesiastical was in the 15th century

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Cite this Entry

“Ecclesiastical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ecclesiastical. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

ecclesiastical

adjective
ec·​cle·​si·​as·​ti·​cal ik-ˌlē-zē-ˈas-ti-kəl How to pronounce ecclesiastical (audio)
e-ˌklē-
variants or ecclesiastic
-tik
: of or relating to a church
ecclesiastical history
ecclesiastically adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on ecclesiastical

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