church

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”). 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.

noun

1. (countable) A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place.
   There is a lovely little church in the valley.
   This building used to be a church before being converted into a library.
   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. 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117
2. Christians collectively seen as a single spiritual community; Christianity; Christendom.
   These worshippers make up the Church of Christ.
   Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. Acts 20:28, New International Version
3. (countable) A local group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general.
   Many young people find their only role models of family life in church. 2007, Bill Gibson, The Ultimate Church Sound Operator's Handbook, page 78
   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. 2007, John R. Dodd, Bucky and Friends, page 117
   As they actively get involved in ministry, lay ministry becomes vigorous, and new believers will settle in church with more ease. 2008, Yil Gyoung Kang, Enhancing understanding the church through preaching on ..., page 61
   she had very many adults in church with whom she could talk about issues in life. 2009, Christian Smith, Patricia Snell, Souls in Transition, page 194
   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. 2004, Bev Marshall, Right as Rain, Ballantine Books, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 130
4. (countable) A particular denomination of Christianity.
   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.
   Pastors complained that they were not allowed enough authority in church, with women exercising too much informal control. 1997, Paul Harvey, Redeeming the South: Religious Cultures and Racial Identities ..., page 119
   Some people are always saying, "Oh, you have too much church." You never get too much church. I go to church every day. 2000, Lee Roberson, Disturbing Questions...: Solid Answers, page 174
   the learned women will be qualified to lead in church with equal grace and equal insight and equal gifts. 2003, George Shillington, On a Journey with God: You Come Too, page 53
6. (uncountable) Organized religion in general or a specific religion considered as a political institution.
   Many constitutions enshrine the separation of church and state.
   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. 1903, Duncan Black MacDonald, Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory, page 4
   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 […] 1991, Cyril E. Black et al., The Modernization of Inner Asia, page 15
   The secular absolutist model is based on a strict separation between church and state. 2001, Ayelet Shachar, Multicultural Jurisdictions: Cultural Differences and Women's Rights, page 72
7. (informal) Any religious group.
   She goes to a Wiccan church down the road.
   Among these, the church must investigate fundemental questions, […] 2007, Scott A. Merriman, Religion and the Law in America, page 313
8. (obsolete) Assembly.

verb

1. (transitive, Christianity, now historical) To conduct a religious service for (a woman after childbirth, or a newly married couple).
2. 1971, Keith Thomas, Religion and the Decline of Magic, Folio Society, published 2012, page 36:
3. (transitive) To educate someone religiously, as in in a church.

intj

1. (slang) Expressing strong agreement.
   - These burritos are the best!
   - Church!