Meanings of words connected to religion
| Word | Meaning |
| abba | Syriac or Coptic bishop |
| ablegate | papal envoy or legate |
| absconce | lantern used in monasteries and night offices |
| abthane | monastic region of the old Irish church |
| accensor | acolyte |
| adiaphoron | tenet or belief on which a theological system is indifferent |
| adoptionism | belief that Christ was the adopted and not natural son of God |
| advowson | right of presentation to church living |
| adytum | sacred part of a temple or church; church chancel |
| affusion | pouring on; as of baptismal water |
| agape | selfless Christian love; a feast in celebration of such love |
| agapeistic | characterized by Christian love |
| agapetae | churchwomen who live platonically with celibate men |
| aggiornamento | modernization of ideas of the Catholic church |
| agrapha | sayings of Jesus not found in the canonical gospels |
| alb | long white robe worn by priests |
| almoner | giver of alms; social worker in a hospital |
| altarage | payment to priest for mass; offerings at altar |
| ambo | early Christian raised reading desk or pulpit |
| ambry | recess for church vessels; cupboard or niche |
| ambulatory | aisle down the east end of a church |
| amice | strip of fine linen worn as cloak or wrap by priest at mass |
| ampulla | vessel for holy oil or wine for coronations or rituals |
| anamnesis | reminiscence; prayer recalling death and resurrection of Jesus |
| anchorite | one withdrawn from the world for religious reasons |
| ancress | female religious recluse |
| anele | to administer extreme unction to |
| angelus | prayer said in morning, at noon and at sunset |
| antechapel | anteroom to a chapel or church |
| antependium | covering or cloth over pulpit or altar |
| antilegomena | books of the New Testament not part of early Christian Bible |
| antipedobaptism | denial of validity of infant baptism |
| antiphon | anthem sung as a response during church service |
| apocatastasis | final restitution of all things at the appearance of the Messiah |
| apocrisiary | papal secretary |
| apologetics | defense and proof of Christianity or other doctrine |
| apse | rounded extension of church or other building |
| archimandrite | head of a monastery or convent |
| aspergillum | vessel for sprinkling holy water |
| aspersory | vessel for holding holy water |
| aureole | radiant light around head or body of holy personage |
| autocephality | ecclesiastical self-government |
| auto-da-fe | burning of a heretic |
| autotheism | belief that one is God incarnate or that one is Christ |
| baldaquin | covering or canopy over a throne or altar |
| baptistery | part of church reserved for performing baptisms |
| bardocucullus | hooded cloak worn by monks |
| basilica | Roman Catholic church given special privileges |
| beadle | church caretaker or usher |
| beadsman | monk or almoner who prays for benefactor |
| bema | raised part of an Eastern church containing the altar |
| benefice | ecclesiastical office to which revenue is attached |
| bethel | a place of worship for seamen; nonconformist chapel |
| biretta | square three-ridged cap worn by Catholic clergy |
| breviary | book containing daily church service |
| bulla | round seal attached to a papal bull |
| bullantic | capitalized and ornamented, as letters used on papal bulls |
| bullary | collection of papal bulls |
| bursary | treasury of a monastery or college |
| burse | square cloth case to carry the corporal during Communion service |
| caesaropapism | control of the church by a secular ruler |
| calefactory | a monastery sitting room |
| calotte | Roman Catholic skullcap |
| camerlengo | papal treasurer |
| campanile | freestanding bell tower on church property |
| canoness | woman living in a community under a religious rule |
| canticle | short holy song or sung prayer |
| cantorial | located on the north side of the choir in a church |
| capuchin | pointed hooded cloak worn by friars |
| cardinalitial | pertaining to church cardinals |
| cartulary | keeper of monastic records |
| cassock | close-fitting ankle-length clergyman's garment |
| catabaptism | belief in the wrongness of infant baptism |
| catechumen | one undergoing instruction prior to conversion to Christianity |
| cathedra | chair or throne of office for a bishop or other high official |
| cathisma | short hymn used as response |
| catholicos | primate of Armenian or Nestorian church |
| cellarer | monastery official in charge of provisions |
| cenacle | room where the Last Supper was eaten |
| cenobite | monk; member of religious group |
| cenoby | monastery or convent |
| censer | vessel for burning incense in religious rituals |
| cephalophore | decapitated saint depicted with head tucked under arm |
| chancel | part of church containing altar and seats for choir |
| chancery | church office dealing with legal matters and archives |
| chantry | chapel or altar built for prayers for its benefactor's soul |
| chaplet | circlet or wreath for the head; short string of prayer beads |
| charterhouse | Carthusian monastic building |
| chasuble | sleeveless ecclesiastical garment |
| chevet | east end of a church |
| chiliasm | belief that Jesus will reign on Earth for a thousand years |
| chimere | loose sleeveless robes worn by Anglican bishops |
| chrism | consecrated or holy oil |
| chrismation | sacrament of baptism in Eastern churches |
| chrismatory | vessel for holding holy oil |
| chrisom | white robe put on newly baptised child |
| christophany | appearance of Christ to men |
| churching | church ceremony given to women after childbirth |
| churchism | devotion to church rules over religious precepts |
| ciborium | freestanding canopy to cover altar; vessel for holding eucharistic bread |
| cilice | haircloth shirt worn as penance |
| cincture | to gird or surround; belt worn around ecclesiastical vestment |
| cingulum | girdle or girdle-like structure; priest's belt |
| circumincession | the reciprocal existence of three parts of the Trinity in each other |
| classis | a group; governing body of Reformed churches |
| clerestory | upper storey of a church; windows near the roof of a building |
| coadjutor | bishop assisting a diocesan bishop and having the right of succession |
| collegialism | theory that church is independent from the state |
| colporteur | peddler of religious tracts and books |
| compaternity | spiritual relationship between child's parents and godparents |
| compline | prayer service held just before bedtime |
| comprecation | prayer meeting |
| concelebrate | to jointly recite the canon of the Eucharist in unison with others |
| concordat | agreement between the pope and a secular government |
| confirmand | candidate for religious confirmation |
| confiteor | prayer of confession of sins |
| consistory | a solemn assembly or council; a church tribunal |
| consultor | advisor to a Catholic bishop |
| conventicle | secret or illegal church assembly |
| corporal | white cloth on which Communion bread and wine are placed |
| credence | small table for holding sacred vessels |
| credo | concise statement of doctrine; section of Mass followed by offertory |
| crosier | pastoral staff or crook held by bishop or abbot |
| cruet | vessel used in religious ceremonies, especially to hold the Eucharist |
| curate | assistant to a parish priest |
| curia | papal court and its officials |
| custos | guardian, custodian or keeper, especially of convents or monasteries |
| dalmatic | ecclesiastical robe or other outer vestment |
| datary | papal officer who registers and dates bulls and edicts |
| decanal | located on south side of the choir in a church |
| decretal | papal decree deciding a point of church law |
| deiparous | bearing a god |
| deodate | a gift to or from God |
| diaconicon | sacristy for sacred vessels in Orthodox churches |
| diphysitism | belief in the dual nature of Christ |
| diptych | pair of pictures on hinged panels; register of bishops and saints |
| discalced | without shoes; barefoot; a religious order wearing no shoes |
| ditheletism | doctrine that Christ had two wills |
| donative | benefice presented to church without reference to bishop |
| dossal | ornamental cloth hung behind and above an altar |
| doxology | hymn or verse of praise to God |
| dulia | inferior veneration of saints and angels in comparison with God |
| ecclesiastry | affairs of the church |
| eirenics | theological doctrine of religious unification |
| encolpion | reliquary; cross worn on the breast |
| encyclical | letter sent by the pope to multiple bishops |
| eparchy | diocese of an Eastern church |
| epiclesis | calling on the Holy Spirit to consecrate the Eucharist |
| epistoler | reader of the epistle in Anglican service |
| epitrachelion | stole of an Orthodox priest or bishop |
| eremite | hermit; religious recluse |
| eschatology | doctrine of life and afterlife |
| eschaton | end of the world; end time |
| euchology | prayer book |
| exarch | viceroy; rank below patriarch in Eastern church |
| exeat | permission from bishop for clergyman to work elsewhere |
| exedra | semicircular bench beside episcopal throne; outdoor bench or recess |
| exegetic | explanatory, especially of Scripture |
| exequy | funeral rites; procession |
| faldstool | desk from which the Litany is read at church service |
| fanion | cloth worn on priest's arm and used for handling holy vessels |
| fenestella | recess in church wall for storing communion vessels |
| feretory | shrine for relics during a procession or for a funeral bier |
| feria | weekday of a church calendar on which no holiday falls |
| festilogy | treatise on ecclesiastical festivals |
| flèche | narrow wooden spire on church roof |
| florilegium | anthology of writings, especially of church fathers |
| fossarian | clergyman moonlighting as a gravedigger |
| frankalmoign | land tenure requiring religious obligations on part of tenant |
| frontal | cloth hanging over front of altar |
| galilee | porch in front of church |
| glebe | church land granted to clergyman |
| gradual | part of mass between epistle and gospel |
| guimpe | wide cloth covering neck and shoulders worn by nuns |
| hagioscope | opening in wall to enable viewing of altar |
| hanap | chalice used in communion whose cover is a second chalice |
| hassock | kneeling cushion in a church |
| hearsecloth | cloth lain over coffin during funeral |
| hegumene | head of a nunnery |
| hieratical | priestly; bound by religious convention |
| hieromonach | monk who also serves as a priest |
| holobaptism | belief in baptism with total immersion in water |
| homolegomena | books of the Bible used in early Christianity |
| housel | the eucharist; the act of taking the eucharist |
| hymnal | collection of church hymns |
| hymnody | hymns collectively; hymn-singing |
| hyperdulia | veneration of the Virgin Mary above saints and angels |
| iconostasis | screen or partition in Eastern churches with tiers of icons |
| incardination | acceptance by a diocese of clergyman from another diocese |
| indulgence | former Catholic pardon granted for remission of punishment for sins |
| indult | special temporary dispensation granted by the Catholic church |
| internuncio | messenger between two parties; low-ranking papal legate |
| intinction | administering communion by dipping bread into wine |
| introit | psalm or hymn sung at beginning of church service |
| invination | presence of Christ's blood in sanctified wine |
| invitatory | psalm or anthem sung before prayer during church service |
| jube | ornamental choir-screen |
| jubilarian | one who celebrates a jubilee, especially a priest, monk, or nun |
| jubilate | the third Sunday after Easter |
| kamelaukion | tall cylindrical hat worn by Orthodox priests |
| kenosis | Christ's rejection of his divine side upon assuming human form |
| kerygma | preaching of the Christian gospel |
| kerygmatic | of or relating to preaching the Gospel |
| kirking | first attendance of a couple at church after marriage |
| kyrie | religious petition for mercy |
| labarum | moral standard; ecclesiastical banner bearing Christ's monogram |
| laic | pertaining to lay people rather than clergy |
| laicisation | process of returning a clergyman to lay status |
| laicism | doctrine of opposition to clergy and priests |
| lappet | fold or flap on a garment or headdress worn by priest |
| latria | highest degree of veneration, assigned to God over saints |
| lauds | prayer service held at dawn following matins |
| lavabo | ceremony in which priest washes his hands; basin for the ceremony |
| lavatory | wash-basin for washing bodies of newly dead; room where lavabo kept |
| lavra | group of recluses' cells |
| lectern | desk or stand from which church lessons are read |
| lection | reading; lesson read in church |
| lectrice | female reader in church |
| litany | prayer of supplication in responsive style |
| liturgician | one who studies or recites church rituals |
| locum | clergyman temporarily replacing regular priest |
| lustration | ritual washing; ablution |
| lychgate | roofed gate of a churchyard |
| magisterium | teaching function of the Catholic church |
| magnificat | canticle in praise of the Virgin Mary |
| manciple | steward of a college or monastery; purveyor |
| mandorla | oval panel containing a work of art; elliptical halo around holy person |
| mandriarch | founder or leader of a monastic order |
| maniple | clerical vestment worn on the left arm |
| Mariolatry | worship of the virgin mother |
| Mariology | study of the Virgin Mary |
| marrano | Jew converted to Christianity to avoid persecution |
| martyrium | shrine erected in memory of a martyr |
| martyrolatry | excessive devotion to martyrs |
| martyrology | study of martyrs |
| matins | prayer service held in early morning hours |
| mendicant | member of impoverished religious order |
| menology | register or calendar of saints' days |
| mersion | dipping; as in baptism |
| messianism | belief in a single messiah or saviour |
| metropolitan | archbishop holding authority over other bishops |
| midlenting | custom of giving gifts to parents on mid-Lent Sunday |
| minster | church associated with a monastery |
| misericord | ledge in church to lean against while standing; forgiveness or mercy |
| missal | book containing complete service for mass |
| miter | high headdress worn by bishop or archbishop |
| modalism | belief in unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit |
| monergism | theory that the Holy Spirit alone can act |
| monial | a nun |
| monkery | monks in general; monasticism; behaviour of monks |
| monophysitism | belief that Christ was primarily divine but in human form |
| monotheletism | belief that Christ had only one will |
| monstrance | vessel used to expose the Eucharist |
| mozzetta | short cape with ornamental hood worn by Catholic prelates |
| mystagogical | relating to religious ritual initiation |
| naos | temple; inner cell of a temple |
| narthex | small entrance or porch to a church |
| nave | largest part of church where congregation sits |
| nipter | ecclesiastical ceremony of washing the feet |
| nones | prayer service held at 3 p.m. |
| novena | series of Catholic church services held on nine successive days |
| nuncio | one who brings tidings; high-ranking papal legate |
| obit | religious office for a dead person |
| oblate | layman living in a religious community under modified rule |
| oblation | act of offering; a sacrifice; anything offered in worship |
| oculus | round window, especially over main door in church |
| orant | representation of praying figure in early art |
| orarion | deacon's stole in Orthodox church |
| orarium | handkerchief; scarf attached to bishop's staff |
| orarium | book of private devotions |
| oratory | small chapel for private prayer; lectern for prayer |
| ordinal | book containing religious rites, especially for ordination |
| ordo | calendar with list of services for each day of the year |
| oremus | Roman Catholic liturgical prayer |
| orison | prayer |
| orphrey | gold or other rich embroidery on clerical robes |
| osculatory | carved tablet kissed by priest during celebration of mass |
| ostensory | container for holding consecrated Communion wafers |
| paedobaptism | doctrine of infant baptism |
| pall | covering cloth laid upon Communion chalice |
| pallium | white woollen band symbolising archbishop's authority |
| panegyricon | collection of sermons for Orthodox church festivals |
| pannicle | thin sheet-like vestment |
| pannychis | all-night vigil in preparation for Orthodox church feast |
| paraclete | advocate or intercessor; the Holy Spirit acting in such a role |
| parclose | railing in church enclosing altar, chapel or tomb |
| pardoner | one who raises money for religious works by selling indulgences |
| parousia | second coming of Christ |
| parvis | enclosed space at the front of a church |
| passalorynchite | one who takes a religious vow of silence |
| paten | plate; metal disk used to hold Communion bread |
| pax | tablet decorated with sacred figure and kissed by participants in mass |
| pentateuch | the first five books of the Old Testament |
| pericope | an excerpt or passage read during religious services |
| pernoctate | to pass the night in vigil or prayer |
| phonascus | person who maintains rhythm in church choir |
| pieta | representation of Virgin Mary with dead Christ across her knees |
| pietism | unquestioning or dogmatic religious devotion |
| piscina | basin set in wall of church to drain away ceremonial water |
| plebania | mother-church having authority over several local churches |
| pluvial | floor-length open-fronted ecclesiastical garment |
| pneumatomachy | denial of the divinity of the Holy Ghost |
| pneumatophany | appearance of a spirit; especially the Holy Ghost |
| poppyhead | raised ornament on top of upright end of seats in churches |
| postlude | closing piece of music at end of church service |
| postulant | candidate for a religious order |
| postulator | official who presents case for canonization or beatification |
| prebend | stipend or salary paid to clergyman |
| prebendal | relating to stipends issued by a church |
| precentor | leader of the singing of a church choir |
| predella | platform for altar; portable altar or decoration upon it |
| prelacy | episcopal church government |
| prelate | bishop or abbot of superior rank |
| presbytery | part of church reserved for officiating clergy |
| prie-dieu | prayer stool or kneeling bench in a church |
| prime | prayer service held at 6 a.m. |
| procathedral | parish church serving as a cathedral |
| pronaos | vestibule in front of a temple |
| proper | elements of Christian mass that are variable |
| proseuche | place of prayer; oratory |
| prothonotary | chief registrar of a court; keeper of canonisation records |
| psalmodist | singer of psalms |
| psalmody | act of singing psalms in church services |
| pseudepigrapha | apocrypha; non-canonical books of the Bible |
| pseudepiscopy | existence or rule of a spurious bishop |
| psilanthropism | denial of Christ's divinity |
| pulpitum | gigantic stone screen separating cathedral choir from the nave |
| purificator | cloth used to wipe Eucharist chalice |
| pyx | box or vessel in which coins or consecrated Eucharist are kept |
| quaestionary | religious pardoner |
| qualificator | one who prepares ecclesiastical cases for trial |
| quaresimal | Lenten; having the meagreness of Lenten meals |
| quartodeciman | early Christian who celebrated Easter on Passover even if not a Sunday |
| rantize | to sprinkle with water during baptism |
| rasophore | lowest rank of Greek Orthodox monk |
| recusant | one who refuses to attend Catholic church services; nonconformist |
| refectory | dining-hall of a monastery or other institution |
| regula | rule of a religious order |
| reliquary | a small box or shrine used to hold relics |
| repository | side altar in Catholic church |
| requiem | lament or mass for the dead |
| requiescat | prayer for the dead |
| reredos | screen behind altar |
| rescript | answer of pope or emperor to any legal question; edict or decree |
| responsory | set of responses sung or said after liturgical reading |
| retable | shelf or ornamental setting for panels behind an altar |
| retrochoir | space in choir behind high altar |
| ridel | altar curtain |
| rochet | surplice-like vestment of a bishop or abbot |
| rogation | asking or supplication, especially in an ecclesiastical sense |
| rood | cross or crucifix at entrance to church chancel |
| sacerdotalism | belief that priests are necessary mediators between God and mankind |
| sacramentarianism | belief that sacraments have unusual properties |
| sacrarium | place where sacred objects are kept |
| sacristan | church official in charge of vessels and the sacristy |
| sacristy | room in church where sacred objects are kept |
| saltire | X-shaped cross |
| samarra | flame-decorated cassock worn by those condemned by the Inquisition |
| sanbenito | yellow or black sackcloth garment worn by heretics prior to execution |
| scapular | badge of monastic order worn on the shoulders |
| schola | church choir led by a cantor |
| scholasticate | preparatory college for those intending to enter Catholic order |
| scriptorium | writing room; room used by monastic scribes |
| sedilia | stone seats for clergy in wall of chancel |
| sepulchre | receptacle in an altar for holding religious relics |
| sext | prayer service held at noon |
| sexton | church caretaker or bellringer |
| shrive | to hear a confession from and give absolution |
| sigillum | seal of the confession |
| simony | buying or selling of ecclesiastical offices |
| sinecure | ecclesiastical office or other job requiring little work |
| situla | a holy bucket |
| slype | covered passage between walls, or between transept and chapterhouse |
| solifidianism | doctrine that faith alone will ensure salvation |
| soteriology | study of theological salvation |
| soutane | priest's cassock |
| squarson | clergyman who is also a land-holding squire |
| starets | Eastern Orthodox spiritual advisor |
| staurolatry | worship of the cross or crucifix |
| sticharion | vestment like an alb worn by Orthodox priests |
| sticheron | short hymn |
| stole | narrow ecclesiastical vestment or scarf |
| stoup | vessel for holding holy water |
| stylite | monk who spends much time on tops of pillars |
| succinctorium | band or scarf worn from the Pope's girdle |
| suffragan | assistant bishop |
| superhumeral | ecclesiastical garment worn over the shoulders |
| surplice | loose-fitting ankle length overgarment worn by clerics |
| synaxarion | account of a saint's life |
| synod | ecclesiastical assembly or council |
| synthronus | joint throne for an Orthodox bishop and his presbyters |
| tabernacle | ornamental container for storing Communion bread and wine |
| taperer | one who bears a taper during a religious procession |
| terce | prayer service held at 9 a.m. |
| tester | canopy over a bed, pulpit or altar |
| tetragrammaton | sacred word or acronym of four letters |
| tetramorph | artistic representation of the four evangelists in one figure |
| theodidact | student of God; one who is taught by God |
| theody | hymn in praise of God |
| theolepsy | seizure or possession by a god |
| theologaster | petty or shallow theologian |
| theometry | measurement or estimation of God |
| theophany | manifestation or appearance of a god to people |
| theotokos | title given to the Virgin Mary as bearer of God |
| thurible | censer |
| thurifer | altar boy who bears censer |
| tiara | three-tiered crown worn by or carried in front of the pope |
| tippet | long black scarf worn by Anglican clergy |
| tonsure | shaving of small area on the crown of head of a priest or monk |
| transept | part of a church off to one side of main structure |
| transubstantiation | miraculous changing of bread and wine into body and blood of Christ |
| tremendum | feeling of overwhelming awe associated with religious experience |
| trental | commemoratory service held thirty days after burial |
| triduum | period of three days of prayer preceding Roman Catholic feasts |
| triforium | gallery or arcade over an aisle; gallery over nave and choir |
| tritheism | belief that the members of the Trinity are separate gods |
| tropology | figurative language; moral interpretation of the Bible |
| tunicle | short ecclesiastical vestment worn by bishop or subdeacon |
| tympanum | space within an arch; arched recess at entrance of cathedral |
| ubiquitarianism | belief that Christ is everywhere |
| ultramontane | south of the Alps; supporting the Pope |
| unalist | priest holding one benefice |
| unaneled | without extreme unction |
| unction | anointing as right of consecration or healing; warmth of address |
| undercroft | crypt or vault under a church |
| unhouseled | not having received the Eucharist shortly before death |
| verger | church usher and attendant |
| vernicle | cloth with image of Christ's face impressed upon it |
| versicle | short verse in church service normally followed by response |
| vespers | prayer service held in early evening |
| vestry | priest's dressing room |
| vesturer | keeper of vestments |
| viaticum | money or provisions for journey; Eucharist for a dying person |
| vicegod | hostile appellation applied to the Pope |
| wicket | small door forming part of larger door of a church or castle |
| wimple | cloth covering for head and neck worn by nuns |
| xerophagy | eating of dry food; fast of dry food in the week preceding Easter |
| zeta | small room or closet in a church |
| zucchetto | round skullcap worn by Catholic clergy to indicate rank |
| zymite | priest using leavened bread during communion |
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