MEANING
Relating to the Christian Church, its clergy, or its institutions.
Use it for
Church ownership, clerical power, official religious histories.Make religious authority concrete through offices, property, and records.
Words that belong together
- ecclesiastical authority
- ecclesiastical court
- ecclesiastical records
On the page
Ecclesiastical records preserved the woman's maiden name.
The dispute passed from the family court to an ecclesiastical court.
An ecclesiastical official arrived to inspect the abandoned chapel.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- ecclesiastical
Usage notes
Primary category: gothic. Institutional or clerical rather than simply spiritual; formal register. Non-gradable relational adjective. Derived adverb ecclesiastically.
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