cathedral
English · Thesaurus
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cathedral¹
- /kəˈθiːdɹəl/ UK
- /kəˈtiːdrəl/ Early Modern
- /kəˈθidɹəl/ Canada, US
- [kɪ̈ˈθidɹəl] Canada, US
- /kəˈθiːdɹəl/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -iːdɹəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English cathedral, chathedral, cathiderall, from Old French [Term?], from Latin cathedrālis, from cathedra + -ālis, from Ancient Greek καθέδρα (kathédra, “chair of a teacher, throne”).
adjective
- Relating to the office of a bishop or an archbishop.
cathedral²
- /kəˈθiːdɹəl/ UK
- /kəˈtiːdrəl/ Early Modern
- /kəˈθidɹəl/ Canada, US
- [kɪ̈ˈθidɹəl] Canada, US
- /kəˈθiːdɹəl/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -iːdɹəl
Where it comes from
Ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”).
noun cathedrals
- The principal church serving as the office (and some as place of residence) of an archdiocese's/a diocese's archbishop/bishop which is symbolized by an episcopal throne known as the cathedra. The bishop presided over the ceremony from his seat in the cathedral.
- A large or important church building.
- A large, impressive, lofty, and/or important building or place of some other kind. a cathedral of commerce
- A large buttressed structure built by certain termites.
Cathedral³
Where it comes from
From cathedral. Coined by American far-right political theorist and computer scientist Curtis Yarvin, writing as Mencius Moldbug.
proper noun the Cathedral · the cathedral
- The mainstream system or establishment in society, regarded as liberal or leftist. The reaction from the Cathedral—the press, the political establishment, and everyone else who shaped acceptable opinion—was quick and unanimous
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: chapel, church, minster, college, churches, abbey, temple, sanctuary, basilica, bishopric, see, ecclesia, kirk, shrine, duomo, dom
Translations
Every language
noun church serving as the office of the diocese's bishop and archdiocese's archbishop
| Español | catedral |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 대성당 daeseongdang |
| 日本語 | 大聖堂 daiseidō |
| 中文 | 大教堂 dàjiàotáng, 主教座堂 zhǔjiàozuòtáng |
| हिन्दी | कैथेड्रल kaitheḍral |
| Kiswahili | kanisa kuu |
| Português | catedral |
| Français | cathédrale |
| Deutsch | Bischofskirche, Dom, Domkirche, Hauptkirche, Kathedrale |
| Italiano | cattedrale, duomo |
| Ελληνικά | μητρόπολη mitrópoli, καθεδρικός ναός kathedrikós naós, επισκοπή episkopí |
| Română | catedrală |
| Русский | собо́р sobór, кафедра́льный собо́р kafedrálʹnyj sobór |
| Tiếng Việt | nhà thờ chính tòa, đại giáo đường, nhà thờ lớn |
| العربية | كَاتِدْرَائِيَّة kātidrāʔiyya |
| עברית | קָתֶדרָלָה katedrala |
noun big church building
| Español | catedral |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 大教堂 dàjiàotáng |
| हिन्दी | कैथेड्रल kaitheḍral, गिरजा girjā, गिर्जा girjā, गिरजाघर girjāghar, गिर्जाघर girjāghar, कलीसा kalīsā |
| Português | catedral |
| Français | cathédrale |
| Deutsch | Bischofskirche, Dom, Domkirche, Hauptkirche, Kathedrale |
| Italiano | cattedrale, duomo |
| Ελληνικά | καθεδρικός ναός kathedrikós naós |
| Română | catedrală |
| Русский | собо́р sobór |
name Translations
| 中文 | 大教堂 Dàjiàotáng |
|---|
Talk about this word "cathedral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/cathedral. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. cathedral. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/cathedral "cathedral." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/cathedral.Cite this
@misc{cathedral_2026,
title = {cathedral},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/cathedral},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
