church
Language: English
Part of speech: noun
Pronunciation: ipa: /t͡ʃɜːt͡ʃ/
ipa: /t͡ʃɜɹt͡ʃ/
ipa: /t͡ʃʊrt͡ʃ/
ipa: /t͡ʃɪrt͡ʃ/
rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ
Forms: form: churches
form: churche
form: chirche
Etymology: From Middle English chirche, from Old English ċiriċe (“church”), from Proto-West Germanic *kirikā, 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 *ḱewh₁- (“to swell, spread out, be strong, prevail”). Doublet of kirk.
additional etymological information
 For vowel evolution, see bury. Ancient Greek κυριακόν (kuriakón) was used of houses of Christian worship since circa 300 CE, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “congregation”) or βασιλική (basilikḗ, “royal thing”). An example of the direct Greek-to-Germanic progress of many Christian words, possibly via the Goths; it was probably used by West Germanic people in their pre-Christian period. Cognate with Scots kirk (“church”), West Frisian tsjerke (“church”), Saterland Frisian Säärke (“church”), Dutch kerk (“church”), German Kirche (“church”), Danish kirke (“church”), Swedish kyrka (“church”), Norwegian Bokmål kirke, Norwegian Nynorsk kyrkje (“church”), and Icelandic kirkja (“church”). Also picked up by Slavic, via Old High German chirihha (compare Old Church Slavonic црькꙑ (crĭky), Bulgarian църква (cǎrkva), Russian це́рковь (cérkovʹ)). Romance and Celtic languages use descendants of Latin ecclēsia.
Senses: examples: text: There is a lovely little church in the valley.
text: This building used to be a church before being converted into a library.
text: 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.
ref: 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117:
topics: Christianity
glosses: A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place.
examples: text: These worshippers make up the Church of Christ.
text: Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
ref: Acts 20:28, New International Version
glosses: Christians collectively seen as a single spiritual community; Christianity; Christendom.
examples: text: Many young people find their only role models of family life in church.
ref: 2007, Bill Gibson, The Ultimate Church Sound Operator's Handbook, page 78:
text: 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.
ref: 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117:
text: As they actively get involved in ministry, lay ministry becomes vigorous, and new believers will settle in church with more ease.
ref: 2008, Yil Gyoung Kang, Enhancing understanding the church through preaching on ..., page 61:
text: she had very many adults in church with whom she could talk about issues in life.
ref: 2009, Christian Smith with Patricia Snell, Souls in Transition, page 194:
text: Ruthie had left the church disappointed , reluctant to give up the idea that she was chosen by God to become a saint . But within a month she had sinned by lying , masturbating , and coveting Sarah 130 • Beu Marshall.
ref: 2004, Bev Marshall, Right as Rain, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 130:
glosses: A local group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general.
examples: text: The Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.
glosses: A particular denomination of Christianity.
examples: text: Pastors complained that they were not allowed enough authority in church, with women exercising too much informal control.
ref: 1997, Paul Harvey, Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities ..., page 119:
text: Some people are always saying, "Oh, you have too much church." You never get too much church. I go to church every day.
ref: 2000, Lee Roberson, Disturbing Questions...: Solid Answers, page 174:
text: the learned women will be qualified to lead in church with equal grace and equal insight and equal gifts.
ref: 2003, George Shillington, On a Journey with God: You Come Too, page 53:
glosses: Christian worship held at a church; service.
raw_tags: as bare noun
examples: text: Many constitutions enshrine the separation of church and state.
text: But in Muslim countries, Church and State are one indissolubly, and until the very essence of Islam passes away, that unity cannot be relaxed. The law of the land, too, is, in theory, the law of the Church.
ref: 1903, Duncan Black MacDonald, Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory, page 4:
text: Because the pan-Buddhist movement was heavily supported by the Japanese in Inner Mongolia, the Buddhist church, already under attack by Soviet-backed antireligion campaigns in Outer Mongolia, was further damaged […]
ref: 1991, Cyril E. Black et al., The Modernization of Inner Asia, page 15:
text: The secular absolutist model is based on a strict separation between church and state.
ref: 2001, Ayelet Shachar, Multicultural Jurisdictions: Cultural Differences and Women's Rights, page 72:
glosses: Organized religion in general or a specific religion considered as a political institution.
examples: text: She goes to a Wiccan church down the road.
text: Among these, the church must investigate fundemental questions, […]
ref: 2007, Scott A. Merriman, Religion and the Law in America, page 313:
glosses: Any religious group or place of worship; a temple.
glosses: Assembly.
Synonyms: english: thieves’ cant
translation: thieves’ cant
word: autem
sense: building
english: small church
translation: small church
word: chapel
sense: building
word: kirk
sense: group of worshipers
word: congregation
word: church
Hypernyms: topics: religion
lifestyle
word: religious group
sense: house of worship
word: building
word: organization
Hyponyms: sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Anglican Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Broad Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Bulgarian Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Byzantine Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Catholic Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Christ Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Christian Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Church of England
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Church of Rome
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Church of Scotland
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Church of the East
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Church Slavonic
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Congregational church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Dutch Reformed Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Eastern Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Eastern Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Georgian Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Greek Catholic Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Greek Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Greek Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: High Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Latin Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: LDS church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Low Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Lutheran Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Maronite Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: New Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Oriental Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Oriental Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Orthodox Catholic Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Redemptorist Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Roman Catholic Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Romanian Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Russian Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Serbian Orthodox Church
sense: Proper noun hyponyms of church
word: Western Church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: autocephalous church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: autonomous church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: broad church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: established church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: free church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: home church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: house church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: local church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: parish church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: particular church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: simple church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: state church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: union church
sense: Other hyponyms of church
word: united church
word: Episcopal Church
Coordinate terms: circle
fire temple
gurdwara
heiau
hof
House of Worship
jinja
mandir
monastery
mosque
pagoda
synagogue
temple
Meronyms: word: pope
word: priest
Derived terms: and the church says amen
antechurch
antichurch
at church every time the doors are open
at church every time the doors swing open
cathedral church
champ
champing
chopchurch
Christchurch
Church Age
churchal
church-ale
churchane
Church Assembly
Church Brampton
Church Broughton
church council
Church Cross
church crown
churchdom
church door
church-door
Church Eaton
Church End
Churcher
Church Father
Church Fenton
churchful
Churchgate
church giggle
church giggles
churchgoer
church-goer
churchgoing
church-going
churchhouse
Churchianity
churchical
churchify
Churchill
churching
churchish
churchism
churchite
Church Knowle
Church Lawton
churchless
churchlet
churchlike
churchling
churchload
church-load
churchly
churchman
churchmate
Church Minshull
churchmouse
church of ease
church organ
church organist
Church People
churchperson
churchplanter
church planting
church rate
church-ridden
churchscot
churchship
church steeples
Church Stretton
church tax
church text
Churchtown
churchtown
churchward
churchwarden
churchwards
churchway
churchwear
churchwide
Church Wilne
church windows
churchwoman
churchwork
churchy
church-yard
churchyard
clip the church
cowboy church
cyberchurch
darken a church door
dechurch
dischurch
extrachurch
Falls Church
fringe church
hall church
high church
high-church
Holy Church
in church every time the doors are open
Indian Orthodox Church
interchurch
like a fart in church
low church
low-church
McChurch
mega-church
megachurch
mother church
nervous as a whore in church
newchurch
Newchurch
nonchurch
overchurched
parachurch
parochial church council
patriarchal church
Peterchurch
poor as a church mouse
prochurch
quiet as a church mouse
rechurch
Shenley Church End
Southchurch
South Church
Station-Church Site
stave church
storefront church
superchurch
sweat like a hooker in church
sweat like a whore in church
titular church
unchurch
underchurched
Whitechurch
Related terms: word: church affiliation
word: church bell
word: church crawler
word: church hat
word: church hop
word: church key
word: Church Latin
word: church mode
word: church music
word: church planter
word: church roll
word: church school
word: church service
word: church spire
word: church state
word: church tower
word: church triumphant
word: church year
word: collegiate church
word: :Category:en:Organizations
word: Appendix:Roget MICRA thesaurus/Class VI § 983a. Orthodoxy
word: Appendix:Moby Thesaurus II/39 § High Church