ENGLISH
REFERENCE

catholic

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈkæθɫɪk// UK //kˈæθlɪk// catholic Archaic

n. a person who belongs to the Roman Catholic Church, which is the largest group of Christians in the world.

n. a member of the Roman Catholic Church, acknowledging the spiritual authority of the Pope.


SIMPLE

My neighbor is a Catholic and goes to church every Sunday.

CONTEXTUAL

The local community center is run by a group of Catholics who organize weekly food drives for the homeless.

COMPLEX

While the town has residents of many different faiths, the majority identify as Catholic, which is reflected in the architecture of the central cathedral and the local holiday traditions.

Origin

From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”).

Usage

When referring to the religious denomination or its members, the word is always capitalized.

Idioms1 entry

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