ec·cle·si·as·tic

(ĭ-klē′zē-ăs′tĭk)

adj.

Ecclesiastical.

A minister or priest; a cleric.

[Late Latin ecclēsiasticus, from Greek ekklēsiastikos, from ekklēsiastēs, a member of the ecclesia; see Ecclesiastes.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ecclesiastic

(ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪk)

(Ecclesiastical Terms) a clergyman or other person in holy orders

adj

(Ecclesiastical Terms) of or associated with the Christian Church or clergy

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ec•cle•si•as•tic

(ɪˌkli ziˈæs tɪk)

n.

1. a member of the clergy or other person in religious orders.

adj.

2. ecclesiastical.

[1475–85; < Late Latin ecclēsiasticus < Greek ekklēsiastikós. See Ecclesiastes, -ic]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	ecclesiastic - a clergyman or other person in religious orders churchman, cleric, divine clergyman, man of the cloth, reverend - a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church ordainer - a cleric who ordains; a cleric who admits someone to holy orders pardoner - a medieval cleric who raised money for the church by selling papal indulgences pluralist - a cleric who holds more than one benefice at a time
Adj.	1.	ecclesiastic - of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church); "ecclesiastic history" ecclesiastical

ecclesiastic

noun clergyman, minister, priest, vicar, parson, pastor, cleric, churchman, man of God, divine, man of the cloth, churchwoman, woman of God, clergywoman, woman of the cloth He was sent to a school run by ecclesiastics.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

ecclesiastic

noun

A person ordained for service in a Christian church:

churchman, churchwoman, clergyman, clergywoman, cleric, clerical, clerk, divine, minister, parson, preacher.

Informal: reverend.

Translations

إكليروسي، كَنائِسي

egyházi

ecclesiastischkerkelijk

kirke-kirkelig

基督教会的教士的

ecclesiastic

[ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪk] N → eclesiástico m

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

ecclesiastic

[ɪˌkliːziˈæstɪk] n → ecclésiastique mf

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

ecclesiastic

n → Kleriker m

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

ecclesiastic

[ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪk] n & adj → ecclesiastico/a

Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

ecˌclesiˈastic(al)

(ikliːziˈӕstik(l)) adjective

of the church or clergy.

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

He was driven on, and other carriages came whirling by in quick succession; the Minister, the State-Projector, the Farmer-General, the Doctor, the Lawyer, the Ecclesiastic, the Grand Opera, the Comedy, the whole Fancy Ball in a bright continuous flow, came whirling by.

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About the entire person there was no evidence of a shirt, but a white cravat, of filthy appearance, was tied with extreme precision around the throat and the ends hanging down formally side by side gave (although I dare say unintentionally) the idea of an ecclesiastic. Indeed, many other points both in his appearance and demeanor might have very well sustained a conception of that nature.

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He was obviously an ecclesiastic of high rank; his dress was that of a Cistercian Monk, but composed of materials much finer than those which the rule of that order admitted.

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"Sir," began Raoul, with his usual politeness, "are you an ecclesiastic?"

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Fortunately, I had a definite clew, for there was a particular picture in his sketch-book which showed him taking lunch with a certain ecclesiastic at Rosario.

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No country in the world is so full of churches, monasteries, and ecclesiastics as Abyssinia; it is not possible to sing in one church or monastery without being heard by another, and perhaps by several.

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The ecclesiastics recognized therein the token from above, and asked him on the spot if he would be pope.

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Turning to the secular brothers and sisters of these peasant ecclesiastics, at first sight so strongly contrasted with them, M.

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"This gentleman, who is my friend, has just escaped from a serious danger," continued Aramis, with unction, pointing to D'Artagnan with his hand, and addressing the two ecclesiastics.

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In pretty much all of these dreadful stories, ecclesiastics were the hardy heroes, but that didn't worry the chap- lain any, he had his laugh with the rest; more than that, upon invitation he roared out a song which was of as daring a sort as any that was sung that night.

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He came up with the procession and reined in Rocinante, who was already anxious enough to slacken speed a little, and in a hoarse, excited voice he exclaimed, "You who hide your faces, perhaps because you are not good subjects, pay attention and listen to what I am about to say to you." The first to halt were those who were carrying the image, and one of the four ecclesiastics who were chanting the Litany, struck by the strange figure of Don Quixote, the leanness of Rocinante, and the other ludicrous peculiarities he observed, said in reply to him, "Brother, if you have anything to say to us say it quickly, for these brethren are whipping themselves, and we cannot stop, nor is it reasonable we should stop to hear anything, unless indeed it is short enough to be said in two words."

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The knowledge of these fables rapidly spread from Italy into Germany, and their popularity was increased by the favor and sanction given to them by the great fathers of the Reformation, who frequently used them as vehicles for satire and protest against the tricks and abuses of the Romish ecclesiastics. The zealous and renowned Camerarius, who took an active part in the preparation of the Confession of Augsburgh, found time, amidst his numerous avocations, to prepare a version for the students in the university of Tubingen, in which he was a professor.

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