01 a. Of or pertaining to the church; relating to the organization or government of the church; not secular; as, ecclesiastical affairs or histor…
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1.
Of or pertaining to the church; relating to the organization or government of the church; not secular; as, ecclesiastical affairs or history; ecclesiastical courts.“Every circumstance of ecclesiastical order and discipline was an abomination.” — Cowper.
Phrases & compounds
Ecclesiastical commissioners for England —
a permanent commission established by Parliament in 1836, to consider and report upon the affairs of the Established Church.
Ecclesiastical courts —
courts for maintaining the discipline of the Established Church; -- called also Christian courts.
Ecclesiastical law —
a combination of civil and canon law as administered in ecclesiastical courts.
Ecclesiastical modes —
the church modes, or the scales anciently used.
Ecclesiastical States —
the territory formerly subject to the Pope of Rome as its temporal ruler; -- called also States of the Church.