See Also: African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church)(encyclopedia)
church(dictionary)
church(encyclopedia)
New Church(encyclopedia)
Low Church(dictionary)
Low Church(dictionary)
church(1)(dictionary)
church(2)(dictionary)
A M E CHURCH(finance)
church and state(encyclopedia)

church(1) (iou)



church noun.

I. (Usu. church.) A building and extended uses.
A building for public Christian worship, esp. of the denomination recognized by the State (cf. chapel, oratory); public Christian worship. OE.
go to church spec. (colloq.) get married. CATHEDRAL church. COLLEGIAL church. collegiate church s.v. COLLEGIATE adjective. minster church: see MINSTER 2. PARISH church. Patriarchal church: see PATRIARCHAL 1.
Steele As soon as church was done, she immediately stepp'd out.
A temple; a mosque. OE-M17.
II. (Usu. Church.) A community or organization.
The body of all Christians. OE.
Doctors of the Church: see DOCTOR noun. Fathers of the Church: see FATHER noun. the Church Catholic: emphasizing its universality. the Church invisible the whole body of Christians, past and present. the Church militant Christians on earth warring against evil. the Church triumphant Christians at peace in heaven. the Church visible the whole body of Christians on earth.
A particular organized Christian society, distinguished by special features of doctrine, worship, etc., or confined to territorial or historical limits. OE.
Ancient Church, Anglican Church, Baptist Church, Catholic Church, Congregational Church, Eastern Church, Greek Church, Latin Church, Lutheran Church, Methodist Church, Nestorian Church, Orthodox Church, Presbyterian Church, Roman Catholic Church, Russian Church, Western Church, etc. Broad Church: see BROAD adjective. Church of England the English branch of the Western or Latin Church which has rejected the Pope's supremacy since the Reformation but retained episcopacy. Church-of-Englandism adherence to the Church of England. Church of Scotland Scotland's national Presbyterian Church. High Church: see HIGH adjective. Low Church: see LOW adjective.
A congregation of Christians locally organized into a society for religious worship etc. OE.
The ecclesiastical and clerical organization of Christian society or a particular Christian society; the clergy and officers collectively or as a corporation, formerly esp. as an estate of the realm (opp. State). OE.
enter the Church, go into the Church take holy orders, become a minister or priest. Church and State: see STATE noun. parochial church council: see PAROCHIAL 1. Prince of the Church, Prince of the Holy Roman Church: see PRINCE noun.
(In biblical translations) the congregation of Israelites; the faithful Israelites of the Old Testament, regarded as analogous to the Christian Church. OE.
A non-Christian society or movement regarded as a religion or as having the social, ethical, or spiritual qualities of a religion. LME.
Church of Scientology etc.
Other phrases: Holy Church (a) the Church regarded as divinely instituted and guided; (b) the clergy similarly regarded. Mother Church the Church, esp. the Roman Catholic Church, as having maternal authority or solicitude.
Attrib. & comb.: In the senses 'of the Church, ecclesiastical, (in England often spec.) of the Church of England, of a church', as church assembly, church bazaar, church dignitary, church door, (US) church fair, church fete, church history, church land, church member, church membership, church officer, church organ, church organist, church spire, church steeple, church tower, church vestments, church window, etc. Special combs., as church-ale Hist. a periodic festive gathering held in connection with a church; Church Army a Church of England organization for evangelism and welfare work; church-bell: rung to call people to worship etc.; church-book a book belonging to or used in connection with a church, as a service-book, a parish register, etc.; Church Catechism: see CATECHISM 2; Church Commissioners the body managing the finances of the Church of England; Church Congress Hist. the annual meetings of the Church of England for discussion; Church Covenant: see COVENANT noun; Church Establishment: see ESTABLISHMENT 3; Church Fathers: see FATHER noun; churchgoer a person who attends the services of a church, esp. regularly; churchgoing (esp. regular) attendance at the services of a church; church-government the government or organization of a Church, esp. with regard to the exercise of authority and discipline; church-grith: see GRITH 2; church-house (a) a house belonging to a church or to the Church; (b) US a church, a meeting-house; church-litten: see LITTEN noun; church-living a benefice in the Established Church; church mode each of the eight modes used for plainsong and liturgical chant, each beginning on a different note and having a different pattern of tones and semitones; church mouse: inhabiting a church and proverbially poverty-stricken; church-owl the barn-owl; church parade attendance at church as a military etc. duty; attendance at church in a body by members of a society etc.; church planting the practice of sending parishioners from a thriving (esp. charismatic) Christian church to take over one with a dwindling congregation; church-rate a rate levied on parishioners for the maintenance of the church and its services (formerly compulsory, now voluntary but seldom requested); church school a school founded by or associated with a Church, esp. the Church of England; church-scot, church-shot Hist. a contribution in kind or money made or demanded for the support of the clergy; church service a meeting for public worship, esp. following a stated form; the order of such worship, spec. the order of Common Prayer of the Church of England; Church Slavonic: see SLAVONIC noun; church-text (now rare) black letter, Old English, or textura lettering and type; churchwoman a woman member of the Established Church; church work (a) work at building a church (proverbially slow); (b) work for or in connection with the Church; churchyard an enclosed ground in which a church stands, esp. as used for burials; churchyard cough a cough seeming to herald death; Church year: see YEAR noun1.
churchdom noun (rare) status as a Church; organization as a Church: M17.
churchi'anity noun (derog.) devotion to the Church rather than to Christianity itself M19.
churchless adjective not having a church or an organized Church; not belonging to a Church: M17.
churchlet noun (rare) a small church M17.
churchlike adjective (a) befitting the Church; (b) like a church: L16.
churchly adjective pertaining to or befitting a church or the Church, ecclesiastical: OE.
churchward adverb & adjective,
churchwards adverb [orig. to churchward] towards the church LME.
churchwise adjective & adverb after the manner of a church E17.