extraordinary form

proper noun

The Tridentine liturgy according to the rubrics in force shortly before the Second Vatican Council.

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Meanings

extraordinary form1

proper nounthe extraordinary form
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Extraordinary Form.

Extraordinary Form2

proper nounthe Extraordinary Form

alternative extraordinary form

  1. CatholicismThe Tridentine liturgy according to the rubrics in force shortly before the Second Vatican Council.

    But what about the Extraordinary Form? How is the Traditional liturgy enriched by the New Mass?

    2017, Matthew Arnold, Confessions of a Traditional Catholic, page 173
    2 more examples

    As noted above, communities adhering to the extraordinary form follow the calendar in force in 1962.

    2013, The Liturgy Documents: Supplemental Documents for Parish Worship, Devotions, Formation and Catechesis, volume 4, page 642

    It needs to be admitted that Benedict XVI, in his letter to bishops accompanying the motu proprio, also noted something not asserted in prior documents, namely, that many young people are attracted to the Extraordinary Form and should not be denied its celebration.

    2018, Kevin M. Irwin, Context and Text: A Method for Liturgical Theology, revised edition

    Synonyms: EF

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounThe Tridentine liturgy according to the rubrics in force shortly before the Second Vatican Council.

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Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latinforma extraordinaria
  2. EnglishExtraordinary Form

Calque of Ecclesiastical Latin forma extraordinaria, coined by Benedict XVI in 2007 in Summorum pontificum, which referred to the Tridentine Mass as the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

extraordinary form. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extraordinary%20form

MLA

“extraordinary form.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extraordinary%20form. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “extraordinary form,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/extraordinary%20form.

Source: extraordinary form on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.