Catholic
/ˈkæθəlɪk/
Definitions
3 meaningsRelating to or belonging to the Catholic Church.
/ˈkæθəlɪk/
Relating to the Catholic Church
He is a devout Catholic.
💡 Simply: It means belonging to the Catholic Church, like a Catholic person or a Catholic school.
👶 For kids: It's about the Catholic Church, like a Catholic school or a Catholic priest.
More Examples
She went to a Catholic school.
How It's Used
"She attends a Catholic church."
A member of the Catholic Church.
/ˈkæθəlɪk/
A member of the Catholic Church
Many Catholics attend Mass on Sunday.
💡 Simply: Someone who belongs to the Catholic Church.
👶 For kids: Someone who goes to a Catholic church.
How It's Used
"He is a Catholic."
Including a wide variety of things; universal.
/ˈkæθəlɪk/
Universal; comprehensive
His tastes are quite catholic.
💡 Simply: It means including many different kinds of things.
👶 For kids: It means lots of different things are included.
How It's Used
"The appeal of the book is catholic."
From Late Latin *catholicus, from Greek καθολικός (katholikós), from καθόλου (kathólou) "according to the whole," from κατά (katá) "according to" + ὅλος (hólos) "whole." Originally referring to the universal Christian Church.
The word's use as 'universal' is a later development from its original religious meaning.
Memory tip
Think of 'cathedral' - a large Catholic church.