catholic

== English == === Alternative forms === Catholic === Etymology === From Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, from Ancient Greek καθολικός (katholikós, “universal”), from κατά (katá, “according to”) + ὅλος (hólos, “whole”). === Pronunciation === (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/, /ˈkɑː.θ(ə.)lɪk/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/ Rhymes: -æθəlɪk, -æθlɪk Hyphenation: ca‧tho‧lic, ca‧tholic === Adjective === catholic (comparative more catholic, superlative most catholic) Universal; all-encompassing. Synonyms: universal; see also Thesaurus:generic, Thesaurus:comprehensive 1624, John Donne, Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII., in The Works of John Donne, vol. 3, ed. Henry Alford, London: John W. Parker (1839), pp. 574-5: The church is catholic, universal, so are all her actions; all that she does, belongs to all. 1995, Brian D. Crandall & Peter W. Stahl, Human Digestive Effects on a Micromammalian Skeleton, Journal of Archaeological Science (1995) 22, 789-797: This semifossorial mammal tends to reside in areas with herbaceous cover, frequenting runways in the upper soil horizons where it feeds on a highly catholic diet of animal and plant materials […] Alternative letter-case form of Catholic. (obsolete) Common or prevalent; especially universally prevalent. (usually of people and their feelings, tastes, etc.) All-embracing. Synonyms: eclectic, varied; liberal, open-minded; see also Thesaurus:heterogeneous, Thesaurus:permissive (of medicines or remedies, obsolete) Universally applicable. Of universal human interest or use. ==== Usage notes ==== Sense 4 can also be used figuratively to refer to things. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === “catholic, adj. and n.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, June 2020. === Anagrams === Chilcoat