Donatism

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noun

An early Christian belief which maintained that apostate priests were incapable of administering the sacraments, as opposed to the orthodox view that any sacrament administered by a properly ordained priest or bishop is valid, regardless of how sinful he is or if he has converted to another religion.

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Meanings

nounDonatism (uncountable)
  1. uncountableChristianityAn early Christian belief which maintained that apostate priests were incapable of administering the sacraments, as opposed to the orthodox view that any sacrament administered by a properly ordained priest or bishop is valid, regardless of how sinful he is or if he has converted to another religion.

Origin

Eponym, Donatus Magnus + -ism

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan donatisme
  • donatismeChristian belief
Dutch donatisme
  • donatismeChristian belief
French donatisme
  • donatismeChristian belief
German Donatismus
  • DonatismusChristian belief
Italian donatismo
  • donatismoChristian belief
Polish donatyzm
  • donatyzmChristian belief
Portuguese donatismo
  • donatismoChristian belief
Russian донатизм
  • донатизм (donatizm)Christian belief
Spanish donatismo
  • donatismoChristian belief
Swedish donatism
  • donatismChristian belief

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

monadistsaintdom
Cite this entry
APA

Donatism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Donatism

MLA

“Donatism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Donatism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Donatism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Donatism.

Source: Donatism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.