formal heresy

noun

The teaching or expression of an opinion in the conscious knowledge that it is contradictory to the teachings of the Church, and as such heretical.

OriginEcclesiastical Latin haeresis fōrmālis →
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Meanings

nounformal heresy (plural formal heresies)

plural formal heresies

  1. CatholicismThe teaching or expression of an opinion in the conscious knowledge that it is contradictory to the teachings of the Church, and as such heretical.

Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latinhaeresis fōrmālis
  2. Englishformal heresy

Calque of Ecclesiastical Latin haeresis fōrmālis.

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin

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Cite this entry
APA

formal heresy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20heresy

MLA

“formal heresy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20heresy. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “formal heresy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/formal%20heresy.

Source: formal heresy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.