Meanings
plural ecumenes · alternative archaic oecumene · alternative archaic œcumene
- archaicinherently emicAll known inhabited and civilized areas of the world.
Near-synonym: civilization
1 more example
Ninety-five per cent of the cultivated area of the country lies east of a line drawn from Tsitsihar (Ch'i-ch'i-ha-erh) in northern Manchuria to K'un-ming in Yün-nan Province. This is eastern China, and within it is the Chinese ecumene.
1969, Norton Ginsburg, edited by Joseph Kitagawa, Understanding Modern China, Quadrangle Books, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 59Synonyms: civilization · Antonyms: anecumene, wilderness, wilds, wasteland
- lifestyleUnification of Christianity and of Christendom.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAll known inhabited and civilized areas of the world.
Origin
- Ancient Greekοἰκουμένη“inhabited world”
- Englishecumene
From Ancient Greek οἰκουμένη (oikouménē, “inhabited world”), from οἰκέω (oikéō, “I inhabit, dwell”), from οἶκος (oîkos, “residence”).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish oikumene
- oikumeneinhabited areas of the world
French écoumène
- écoumèneinhabited areas of the world
Italian ecumene
- ecumeneinhabited areas of the world
Polish ekumena
- ekumenainhabited areas of the world
Russian ойкуме́на
- ойкуме́на (ojkuména)inhabited areas of the world
Cite this entry
ecumene. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecumene
“ecumene.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecumene. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ecumene,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ecumene.
Source: ecumene on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.