Church

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Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.

church^¹

/t͡ʃɜːt͡ʃ/ Australia, UK
/t͡ʃɝt͡ʃ/ US
/t͡ʃøːt͡ʃ/ New Zealand, Wales
/t͡ʃʌɾt͡ʃ/ Scotland
/t͡ʃeːt͡ʃ/
/t͡ʃɛːt͡ʃ/
/t͡ʃʊrt͡ʃ/ Early Modern
/t͡ʃɪrt͡ʃ/ Early Modern, rare

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)tʃ

Where it comes from

From Middle English chirche, from Old English ċiriċe (“church”), from Proto-West Germanic *kirikā, an early borrowing of Ancient Greek κυριακόν (kuriakón), neuter form of κυριακός (kuriakós, “belonging to the lord”), from κύριος (kúrios, “ruler, lord”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱewh₁- (“to swell, spread out, be strong, prevail”). Doublet of kirk.

Additional etymological information

For vowel evolution, see bury. Ancient Greek κυριακόν (kuriakón) was used of houses of Christian worship since circa 300 CE, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “congregation”) or βασιλική (basilikḗ, “royal thing”). An example of the direct Greek-to-Germanic progress of many Christian words, possibly via the Goths; it was probably used by West Germanic people in their pre-Christian period. Cognate with Scots kirk (“church”), West Frisian tsjerke (“church”), Saterland Frisian Säärke (“church”), Dutch kerk (“church”), German Kirche (“church”), Danish kirke (“church”), Swedish kyrka (“church”), Norwegian Bokmål kirke, Norwegian Nynorsk kyrkje (“church”), and Faroese and Icelandic kirkja (“church”). Also picked up by Slavic, via Old High German chirihha (compare Old Church Slavonic црькꙑ (crĭky), Bulgarian църква (cărkva), Russian це́рковь (cérkovʹ)). Romance and Celtic languages use descendants of Latin ecclēsia.

noun churches · churche · chirche · chu'ch · chuuch · chuhch

countable A Christian house of worship; a building where Christian religious services take place. There is a lovely little church in the valley.
countable, uncountable Christians collectively seen as a single spiritual community; Christianity; Christendom. These worshippers make up the Church of Christ.
countable A local group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general. Many young people find their only role models of family life in church.
countable A particular denomination of Christianity. The Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534.
countable, uncountable Christian worship held at a church; service. Pastors complained that they were not allowed enough authority in church, with women exercising too much informal control.
uncountable Organized religion in general or a specific religion considered as a political institution. Many constitutions enshrine the separation of church and state.
countable, informal, uncountable Any religious group or place of worship; a temple. She goes to a Wiccan church down the road.
countable, obsolete, uncountable Assembly.

Similar: autem, church, congregation

verb churches · churching · churched · churche · chirche

historical, transitive To conduct a religious service for (a woman after childbirth, or a newly married couple). Thenne after this lady was delyuerd and chirched / there came a knyghte vnto her / his name was sire Bromel la pleche / the whiche was a grete lord and he hadde loued that lady longe / and he euermore desyred her to wedde her / and soo by no meane she coude putte hym of
transitive To educate someone religiously, as in a church. “we’re mighty glad to have you all here. Don’t pay no ‘tention to Lula, she’s contentious because Reverend Sykes threatened to church her. She’s a troublemaker from way back, got fancy ideas an’ haughty ways—we’re mighty glad to have you all.”

interjection churche · chirche · chu'ch · chuuch · chuhch

slang Used to express strong agreement. – These burritos are the best! – Church!

Church^²