adj.
- including a wide variety of things.
-
(Catholic)
of the Roman Catholic faith.
▸of or including all Christians.
▸relating to the historic doctrine and practice of the Western Church.
n.
(
Catholic)
a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Derivative
- Catholicism n.
- catholicity n.
- Catholicize
or Catholicise v. - catholicly adv.
Etymology
ME: from OFr. catholique or late L. catholicus, from Gk katholikos ‘universal’, from kata ‘in respect of’ + holos ‘whole’.