catholic
pronunciation
How to pronounce catholic in British English:
UK [ˈkæθlɪk]
How to pronounce catholic in American English:
US [ˈkæθlɪk]
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- Adjective:
- free from provincial prejudices or attachments
Word Origin
- catholic
- catholic: [14] Etymologically, the Catholic Church is the universal church, comprising all Christians. For catholic comes ultimately from a Greek word, katholikós, meaning ‘relating to all, general’. It was a derivative of kathólou, a compound formed from katá ‘relating to’ and hólos ‘whole’ (source of English holism and holistic). It passed into English via Old French catholique or ecclesiastical Latin catholicus. Its original meaning is preserved today in such contexts as ‘catholic tastes’ – that is, ‘wideranging tastes’.=> holistic
- catholic (adj.)
- mid-14c., "of the doctrines of the ancient Church," literally "universally accepted," from French catholique, from Church Latin catholicus "universal, general," from Greek katholikos, from phrase kath' holou "on the whole, in general," from kata "about" + genitive of holos "whole" (see safe (adj.)). Applied to the Church in Rome c. 1554, after the Reformation began. General sense of "of interest to all, universal" is from 1550s.
- Catholic (n.)
- "member of the Roman Catholic church," 1560s, from Catholic (adj.).
Example
- 1. Her parents warn her against listening to catholic prayers .
- 2. Sonia gandhi is india 's most catholic sovereign .
- 3. He always said the catholic boy-scout movement rescued him from a " grey " childhood in lower middle-class brussels .
- 4. As consumers , they can be catholic in their tastes and demanding in their standards .
- 5. French catholic groups have expressed unhappiness .