ekklesia

E1K5K5L1E1S1I1A1

A form of ecclesia — The public legislative assembly of the Athenians.

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

nounekklesia (plural ekklesiai or ekklesiae or ekklesias)

plural ekklesiai · plural ekklesiae · plural ekklesias

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of ecclesia.

    [T]he "crowding" of two ekklesiai into four days should not prevent the acceptance of what is on the stone and surely amended and restored.

    1985, Cynthia J. Schwenk, “Lykourgos proposes honors for Eudemos of Plataia”, in Athens in the Age of Alexander: The Dated Laws & Decrees of ‘the Lykourgan Era’ 338–322 B.C., Chicago, Ill.: Ares Publishers, →ISBN, chapter IX (The Year of Aristophon, 330/29), page 237
    3 more examples

    As there is one sun but many rays of the sun, there is one ekklesia with many rays (ekklesiai). The elders in these ekklesiai got no consecration. They were not office-holders.

    1929 May, J. E. Evjen, “The Ministry and Ordination”, in Theological Magazine […], volume 57, number 3, St. Louis, Mo.: Evangelical Synod of North America, →ISSN, →OCLC, pages 179–180

    The Gerousia assembles (50. 2), and the ekklesia also assembles (50. 3), and it seems that a great many voices were heard in it. When the issue seemed practically decided, Etymaridas, one of the Gerontes, succeeded in overpersuading both Gerousia and ekklesia (50. 6). In both these ekklesiai there seems to be plenty of talk.

    1944 January–April, H[enry] T[heodore] Wade-Grey, “The Spartan Rhetra in Plutarch Lycurgus VI […]”, in M[aurice] Platnauer, W[illiam] K[eith] C[hambers] Guthrie, editors, The Classical Quarterly, volume XXXVIII, numbers 1, 2, Oxford, Oxfordshire: At the Clarendon Press, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8

    Ekklesias in progress might be abruptly adjourned, if unfavorable heavenly signs appeared: Thucydides 5.45.4–46.1 (“But before anything was ratified an earthquake occurred, and this ekklesia was adjourned. In the ekklesia on the next day …”); […]

    2001, W[illiam] Kendrick Pritchett, “The Athenian Prytany Calendar and Ekklesias”, in Athenian Calendars and Ekklesias (Αρχαία Ελλάς […]; 8), Amsterdam: J.C. Gieben, →ISBN, footnote 30, page 233

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἐκκλησία
  2. Englishekklesia

Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

ekklesia. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekklesia

MLA

“ekklesia.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekklesia. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “ekklesia,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/ekklesia.

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