ecclesi-, ecclesiastico-

1. A church, either as a body or as a building.
2. The public legislative assembly of the Greek Athenians.
3. The political assembly of citizens of an ancient Greek state.

Pertaining to a church or its functions, teachings, or organization.

1. An official of the Greek Orthodox Church, resembling a sacrist in the Roman Catholic Church.
2. Literally, "a ruler of a church" or church body.

Governed by a church or a union of church and a country.

A clergyman or a minister of a church.

An Old Testament book (of the Bible) consisting of reflections on the vanity of human life and is traditionally attributed to King Solomon.

1. A clergyman or other person in religious orders.
2. Of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church).
3. A member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens.

1. A reference to the church or the clergy; churchly; clerical; not secular: The couple didn't believe in the ecclesiastical rules and regulations presented by the church.
2. Associated with a church: The habit of nuns is an ecclesiastical type of attire relating to the Christian Church.
3. Appropriate to a church or to use in a church: In her new book relating to the Christian Church, Judy read about ecclesiastical architecture and ecclesiastical robes.

In an ecclesiastic manner.

1. Excessive adherence to ecclesiastical forms and activities.
2. Religion appropriate to a church and to ecclesiastical principles and practices.
3. Ecclesiastical principles, practices, or spirit.
4. Devotion; especially, excessive devotion or adherence to the principles, forms, or interests of a church.

Christianize or to convert to Christianity.

1. A book of the Apocrypha; also called, Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach.
2. An Apocryphal book mainly of maxims or proverbs.

The Apocrypha includes the biblical books in the Roman Catholic Vulgate Bible and has been accepted in the Roman Catholic and Orthodox canon (body of ecclesiastical law); but it is considered noncanonical by Protestants because they are not part of the Hebrew Scriptures. It is also defined as various early Christian writings proposed as additions to the New Testament, but it was rejected by the major canons (bodies of ecclesiastical laws).

Etymologically, from Late Latin apocryphus, "secret, not approved for public reading", from Greek apokryphos, "hidden, obscure"; thus "(books) of unknown authorship" (especially those included in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, but not originally written in Hebrew and not counted as genuine by the Jews.

The term apocrypha also refers to writings or statements of questionable authorship or authenticity.

1. A descriptive treatise about churches.
2. The history of churches, their localities, doctrines, and other information.

1. Worship of a church group or excessive reverence for church forms, practices, and traditions.
2. Excessive devotion to a church or a religious denomination.

Someone who specializes in theological doctrines relating to churches: "Abraham was an ecclesiologist who studied theology as it was applied to the nature and structure of Christian Churches."