Wiktionary

catholic

See also: Catholic

English

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”).

Pronunciation

edit

Adjective

edit

catholic (comparative more catholic, superlative most catholic)

  1. Universal; all-encompassing.
    Synonyms: universal; see also Thesaurus:generic, Thesaurus:comprehensive
    • 1624, John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII., in The Works of John Donne, vol. 3, ed. Henry Alford, London: John W. Parker (1839), pp. 574-5:
      The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all.
    • 1946, Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, I.29:
      Essentially, and in idea, the empire, in the minds of the Romans, was world-wide. This conception descended to the Church, which was ‘Catholic’ in spite of Buddhists, Confucians, and (later) Muhammadans.
    • 1961 March, “Motive Power Miscellany”, in Trains Illustrated, page 181:
      Newton Heath depot has lately been catholic in its choice of power for the 6.10 p.m. Manchester-Southport and the 9 p.m. back via Bolton.
    • 1995, Brian D. Crandall & Peter W. Stahl, Human Digestive Effects on a Micromammalian Skeleton, Journal of Archaeological Science (1995) 22, 789-797:
      This semifossorial mammal tends to reside in areas with herbaceous cover, frequenting runways in the upper soil horizons where it feeds on a highly catholic diet of animal and plant materials […]
  2. Alternative letter-case form of Catholic.
  3. (obsolete) Common or prevalent; especially universally prevalent.
  5. (usually of people and their feelings, tastes, etc.) Embracing all.
    Synonyms: eclectic; see also Thesaurus:heterogeneous
    • 1959, Anthony Burgess, Beds in the East (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 584:
      "I've got catholic tastes. Catholic with a small "c", of course."
    • 2003, Simon Winchester, The Meaning of Everything; The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary, New York: Oxford University Press, page 72:
      He was omnivorous in his appetite for knowledge, quite catholic in his range of interests […]
  6. (of medicines or remedies, obsolete) Universally applicable.
  7. Of universal human interest or use.
    • c. 1625, John Donne, edited by Evelyn M. Simpson and George R. Potter, The Sermons of John Donne‎[1], volume 7, Berkeley: University of California Press, published 1962, page 51:
      And as the whole booke of Psalmes is Oleum efjusum, (as the Spouse speaks of the name of Christ) an Oyntment powred out upon all sorts of sores, A Searcloth that souples all bruises, A Balme that searches all wounds; so are there some certaine Psalmes, that are Imperiall Psalmes, that command over all affections, and spread themselves over all occasions, Catholique, universall Psalmes, that apply themselves to all necessities.
    • 1868, James Anthony Froude, Short Studies on Great Subjects‎[2], 3rd edition, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., page 363:
      And this vast number is but a selection ; the editors chose only out of the mass before them what was most noteworthy and trustworthy, and what was of catholic rather than of national interest.

Usage notes

edit

Derived terms

edit

Translations

edit

References

edit

Anagrams

edit
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=catholic&oldid=82407912"