See Also: ecumenical(dictionary)
ecumenical(dictionary)

ecumenical (iou)



ecumenical adjective. . L16.
[from late Latin oecumenicus from Greek oikoumenikos of or belonging to he oikoumene the (inhabited) earth, the whole world: see -AL1.]
Of or belonging to the whole Christian world or the universal Church. In recent use freq.: marked by ecumenism, seeking (worldwide) Christian unity that transcends doctrinal differences; of or representing Christians of several denominations; interdenominational. L16.
ecumenical council any of various representative councils of the church worldwide (since the 9th cent., of the Roman Catholic church alone) whose decisions are considered authoritative. Ecumenical Patriarch (a title of) the Patriarch of Constantinople.
Universal, general, worldwide. E17.
? The spelling with e- is not recorded before M19.
ecumenic adjective = ECUMENICAL L16.
ecumenicalism noun ecumenicity; (esp.) ecumenism: L19.
ecumenicality noun = ecumenicity M19.
ecumenically adverb M18.
ecume'nicity noun [ecclesiastical Latin oecumenicitas] ecumenical character; (Christian) universality; ecumenism: M19.
ecumenics noun (a) the branch of knowledge that deals with the Christian Church as a unity; (b) ecumenism: M20.