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Webster 1913 Edition

Church

Church

(chûrch)
,
Noun.
[OE.
chirche
,
chireche
,
cherche
, Scot.
kirk
, from AS.
circe
,
cyrice
; akin to D.
kerk
, Icel.
kirkja
, Sw.
kyrka
, Dan.
kirke
, G.
kirche
, OHG.
chirihha
; all fr. Gr.
κυριακόν
the Lord’s house, fr.
κυριακόσ
concerning a master or lord, fr.
κύριοσ
master, lord, fr.
κῦροσ
power, might; akin to Skr.
çūra
hero, Zend.
çura
strong, OIr.
caur
,
cur
, hero. Cf.
Kirk
.]
1.
A building set apart for Christian worship.
2.
A Jewish or heathen temple.
[Obs.]
Acts xix. 37.
3.
A formally organized body of Christian believers worshiping together.
“When they had ordained them elders in every church.”
Acts xiv. 23.
4.
A body of Christian believers, holding the same creed, observing the same rites, and acknowledging the same ecclesiastical authority; a denomination;
as, the Roman Catholic
church
; the Presbyterian
church
.
5.
The collective body of Christians.
6.
Any body of worshipers;
as, the Jewish
church
; the
church
of Brahm
.
7.
The aggregate of religious influences in a community; ecclesiastical influence, authority, etc.;
as, to array the power of the
church
against some moral evil
.
Remember that both
church
and state are properly the rulers of the people, only because they are their benefactors.
Bulwer.
☞
Church
is often used in composition to denote something belonging or relating to the church;
as,
church
authority;
church
history;
church
member;
church
music, etc.
Apostolic church
.
See under
Apostolic
.
–
Broad church
.
See
Broad Church
.
–
Catholic church
or
Universal church
,
the whole body of believers in Christ throughout the world.
–
Church of England
, or
English church
,
the Episcopal church established and endowed in England by law.
–
Church living
,
a benefice in an established church.
–
Church militant
.
See under
Militant
.
–
Church owl
(Zool.)
,
the white owl. See
Barn owl
.
–
Church rate
,
a tax levied on parishioners for the maintenance of the church and its services.
–
Church session
.
See under
Session
.
–
Church triumphant
.
See under
Triumphant
.
–
Church work
,
work on, or in behalf of, a church; the work of a particular church for the spread of religion.
–
Established church
,
the church maintained by the civil authority; a state church.

Church

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Churched
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Churching
.]
To bless according to a prescribed form, or to unite with in publicly returning thanks in church, as after deliverance from the dangers of childbirth;
as, the
churching
of women
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Church

CHURCH

, n.
1.
A house consecrated to the worship of God, among Christians; the Lords house. This seems to be the original meaning of the word. The Greek, to call out or call together, denotes an assembly or collection. But, Lord, a term applied by the early Christians to Jesus Christ; and the house in which they worshipped was named from the title. So church goods, bona ecclesiastica; the Lords day, dies dominica.
2.
The collective body of Christians, or of those who profess to believe in Christ, and acknowledge him to be the Savior of mankind. In this sense, the church is sometimes called the Catholic or Universal Church.
3.
A particular number of christens, united under one form of ecclesiastical government, in one creed, and using the same ritual and ceremonies; as the English church; the Gallican church; the Presbyterian church; the Romish church; the Greek church.
4.
The followers of Christ in a particular city or province; as the church of Ephesus, or of Antioch.
5.
The disciples of Christ assembled for worship in a particular place, as in a private house. Col. 4.
6.
The worshipers of Jehovah or the true God, before the advent of Christ; as the Jewish church.
7.
The body of clergy, or ecclesiastics, in distinction from the laity. Hence, ecclesiastical authority.
8.
An assembly of sacred rulers convened in Christs name to execute his laws.
9.
The collective body of Christians, who have made a public profession of the Christian religion, and who are untied under the same pastor; in distinction from those who belong to the same parish, or ecclesiastical society, but have made no profession of their faith.

CHURCH

,
Verb.
T.
To perform with any one the office of returning thanks in the church, after any signal deliverance, as from the dangers of childbirth.

Definition 2024

Church

Church

See also: church

English

Proper noun

Church

  1. A surname​.
  2. (used with "the") A specific church (Christian religious denomination), such as the Church of England or the Catholic Church.
    • Catechism of the Catholic Church:
      Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life."
    • 2008 November, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Lift Where You Stand”, in Liahona, page 53–56:
      John was a convert to the Church who left his home in England and traveled to the Salt Lake Valley as part of a handcart company.
  3. A village near Accrington in Lancashire, England.

Derived terms

church

church

See also: Church

English

Alternative forms

Noun

A church, with many architectural features traditional to such a structure.

church ‎(countable and uncountable, plural churches)

  1. (countable) A Christian house of worship; a building where religious services take place. [from 9th c.]
    There is a lovely little church in the valley.
    This building used to be a church before being converted into a library.
    • 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117:
      He got the message and was in church the next Sunday. We need to stay in church with the fellowship of others in order to keep the fire of faith burning brightly.
  2. Christians collectively seen as a single spiritual community; Christianity. [from 9th c.]
    These worshippers make up the Church of Christ.
    • Acts 20:28, New International Version:
      Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
  3. (countable) A local group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general. [from 9th c.]
    • 2007, Bill Gibson, The Ultimate Church Sound Operator's Handbook, page 78:
      Many young people find their only role models of family life in church.
    • 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117:
      He got the message and was in church the next Sunday. We need to stay in church with the fellowship of others in order to keep the fire of faith burning brightly.
    • 2008, Yil Gyoung Kang, Enhancing understanding the church through preaching on ..., page 61:
      As they actively get involved in ministry, lay ministry becomes vigorous, and new believers will settle in church with more ease.
    • 2009, Christian Smith; Patricia Snell, Souls in Transition, page 194:
      she had very many adults in church with whom she could talk about issues in life.
  4. (countable) A particular denomination of Christianity. [from 9th c.]
    The Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.
  5. (uncountable, countable, as bare noun) Christian worship held at a church; service. [from 10th c.]
    • 1997, Paul Harvey, Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities ..., page 119:
      Pastors complained that they were not allowed enough authority in church, with women exercising too much informal control.
    • 2000, Lee Roberson, Disturbing Questions...: Solid Answers, page 174:
      Some people are always saying, "Oh, you have too much church." You never get too much church. I go to church every day.
    • 2003, George Shillington, On a Journey with God: You Come Too, page 53:
      the learned women will be qualified to lead in church with equal grace and equal insight and equal gifts.
  6. (informal) A (non-Christian) religion; a religious group. [from 16th c.]
    • 2007, Scott A. Merriman, Religion and the Law in America, page 313
      Among these, the church must investigate fundemental questions, […]
    She goes to a Wiccan church down the road.
  7. (obsolete) assembly

Usage notes

Synonyms

Hypernyms

Coordinate terms

Derived terms

Look at pages starting with church.

Translations

Verb

church ‎(third-person singular simple present churches, present participle churching, simple past and past participle churched)

  1. (transitive, now historical) To conduct a religious service for (a woman) after childbirth. [from 15thc.]
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, chapter Tercium, in Le Morte Darthur, book XI:
      Thenne after this lady was delyuerd and chirched / there came a knyghte vnto her / his name was sire Bromel la pleche / the whiche was a grete lord and he hadde loued that lady longe / and he euermore desyred her to wedde her / and soo by no meane she coude putte hym of
    • 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society 2012, page 36:
      Nor did it [the Church] accept that the woman should stay indoors until she had been churched.
  2. (transitive) To educate someone religiously, as in in a church.

Derived terms

  • churching of women

Translations

See also

  • Appendix:Ecclesiastical terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: government · particular · charge · #603: church · paper · object · faith

Etymology

From Middle English chirche, from Old English ċiriċe ‎(“church”), from Proto-Germanic *kirikǭ, an early borrowing of Ancient Greek κυριακόν ‎(kuriakón), neuter form of κυριακός ‎(kuriakós, “belonging to the lord”), from κύριος ‎(kúrios, “ruler, lord”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱēw-, *ḱwā- ‎(“to swell, spread out, be strong, prevail”).

Pronunciation

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