synod
- 01 C1 Advanced
a formal meeting of church leaders to discuss and decide on religious matters.
an ecclesiastical council or assembly of delegates convened to consult on church doctrine, administration, or law.
Simple“The bishops gathered for a synod to discuss changes to the church rules.”
In context“The national synod convened to deliberate on the proposed amendments to the liturgy, drawing representatives from every diocese in the country.”
UsageOften used with 'the' as a proper noun when referring to a specific historical or governing body.
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
a specific group or district of churches within a larger religious organization.
a regional or administrative division of a denomination, particularly within Lutheran or Presbyterian traditions.
Simple“Our local church belongs to the regional synod of the Midwest.”
In context“The synod voted to allocate additional funding to urban ministries, reflecting the administrative priorities of the district's leadership.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a rare meeting or coming together of two or more planets or stars in the sky.
a conjunction or alignment of two or more celestial bodies.
Simple“Ancient astronomers recorded the rare synod of Jupiter and Saturn.”
In context“The rare planetary synod provided a unique opportunity for researchers to calibrate their instruments against multiple bright sources simultaneously.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is largely obsolete in modern observational astronomy, which prefers the term 'conjunction'.
Synonyms
From Ancient Greek σύνοδος (súnodos, “assembly, meeting”) – from σύν (sún, “with”) (English syn-) + ὁδός (hodós, “way, path”). Compare also with the term סַנְהֶדְרִין (“sanhedrin”) common throughout Hebrew Talmudic literature.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.