Meanings
comparative more communicatory · superlative most communicatory
- historicalrareChristianityChiefly in communicatory letters (or letters communicatory): of or relating to communion.First known use 1611
Rufinus, however, obtained communicatory letters of pope Siricius, and with them went to Aquileia.
a. 1774, Alban Butler, “September XXX. St. Jerom, Priest, Doctor of the Church.”, in The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints: […], 2nd edition, volume IX, Dublin: […] John Exshaw, [f]or John Morris, […], published 1780, →OCLC, footnote (i), page 3993 more examples
Thirdly, before there was one ſupreme or vniuerſall Biſhop, there was vnitie and communion betweene all the Biſhops in Chriſtendome, whoſe courſe to preſerue vnitie in che Churches and to auoid Schiſme, was to communicate che confeſſions of their faith one with an other by their communicatorie, pacificall or formed letters.
1611, George Downame, “That Bishops Were Superior in Power, and First in the Power of Ordination”, in A Defence of the Sermon Preached at the Consecration of the L[ate] Bishop of Bath and Welles, against a Confutation Thereof by a Namelesse Author. […], London: […] Thomas Creed, William Hall, and Thomas Snodham, →OCLC, 3rd book (Prouing the Superiority of Bishops aboue Other Ministers), page 67It is true, in the Primitive Churches there were ſundry prudential acts of Communion paſs’d between them, ſuch as their formed and communicatory Letters, by which the holy Biſhops gave an account to each other of the ſtate and condition of their reſpective Churches, and conſulted each others judgment about them; […]
1686 July 6 (Gregorian calendar), John Scott, “Of the Nature and Constitution of Christ’s Kingdom”, in The Christian Life. Part II. Wherein That Fundamental Principle of Christian Duty, the Doctrine of Our Saviours Mediation Is Explained and Proved., volume II, London: […] Walter Kettilby, […] and Thomas Horn, […], →OCLC, page 911External communion, on the other hand, consists in the same Creeds, Sacraments, Liturgical forms, rites, and ceremonies, communicatory letters between Churches, and the same discipline and episcopal government.
1958, F[rederick] R[othwell] Bolton, “Internal Communion”, in The Caroline Tradition of the Church of Ireland […], London: […] [F]or the Church Historical Society [by the] S[ociety for] P[romoting] C[hristian] K[nowledge], →OCLC, chapter 2 (Irish Caroline Teaching), section II (The Ministry), pages 76–77
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf, relating to, or suitable for communication.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveable or tending to communicate
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latincommūnicātōrius
- Englishcommunicatory
Learned borrowing from Late Latin commūnicātōrius. By surface analysis, communicate + -ory.
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
communicatory. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/communicatory
“communicatory.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/communicatory. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “communicatory,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/communicatory.
Source: communicatory on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.