Meanings
comparative more ecclesiastic · superlative most ecclesiastic · alternative obsolete ecclesiastick
- Of or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical.
Synonyms: churchical, churchlike, ecclesial, churchical, churchish, churchlike, churchly, churchy
plural ecclesiastics · alternative obsolete ecclesiastick
- A cleric, especially one in a Christian church.
For the priestly historian was a lawyer as well as an ecclesiastic, and as such he took great pains to prove that the friendly relations of God to his people rested on a strictly legal basis.
1918, James George Frazer, Folk-Lore In The Old Testament, volume 1, page 134
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf or pertaining to the church; ecclesiastical.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church)
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Ancient Greekἐκκλησιαστικός
- Late Latinecclēsiasticus“of the church”
- Middle Englishecclesyastyke
- Englishecclesiastic
From Middle English ecclesyastyke, from Late Latin ecclēsiasticus (“of the church”), from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησιαστικός (ekklēsiastikós). By surface analysis, ecclesiast + -ic. Doublet of Ecclesiasticus.
More words from Middle English, Late Latin, Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian духовник
- духовник (duhovnik)one who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Dutch geestelijke, clericus
- geestelijkeone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
- clericusone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Esperanto religiulo, religiulino
- religiuloone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
- religiulinoone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Estonian kirikuteener, jumalasulane
- kirikuteenerone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
- jumalasulaneone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
- vaimulikone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
German Geistlicher, Geistliche
- Geistlicherone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
- Geistlicheone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Greek κληρικός
- κληρικός (klirikós)one who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Irish eaglaiseach
- eaglaiseachone who adheres to a church-based philosophy
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with ecclesiastic
Cite this entry
ecclesiastic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecclesiastic
“ecclesiastic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecclesiastic. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ecclesiastic,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecclesiastic.
Source: ecclesiastic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.