catholic

Etymology

Definitions

1. 1

   Universal

   Universal; all-encompassing.

   • The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all.
   • 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.
   • 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.
2. 2

   Alternative letter-case form of Catholic.

3. 3

   Common or prevalent

   Common or prevalent; especially universally prevalent.

4. ›+ 6 more definitionsshow fewer

   1. 4

      Embracing all.

      • "I've got catholic tastes. Catholic with a small "c", of course."
   2. 5

      Universally applicable.

   3. 6

      Of universal human interest or use.

      • 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.
   4. 7

      Of the Western Christian church, as differentiated from e.g. the Orthodox church.

      • Christmas is celebrated at different dates in the Catholic and Orthodox calendars.
   5. 8

      A member of a Catholic (western Christian) church.

   6. 9

      A surname.

The neighborhood