ecclesi-, ecclesiastico-
(Greek: called out; church)
2. The public legislative assembly of the Greek Athenians.
3. The political assembly of citizens of an ancient Greek state.
2. Literally, "a ruler of a church" or church body.
2. Of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church).
3. A member of the ecclesia in ancient Athens.
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.
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.
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.
2. The history of churches, their localities, doctrines, and other information.
2. Excessive devotion to a church or a religious denomination.