Table of Contents
The word for today is…
catholic (adj) – 1. Of broad or liberal scope; comprehensive.
2. Including or concerning all humankind; universal.
3. Catholic
a. Of or involving the Roman Catholic Church.
b. Of or relating to the universal Christian church.
c. Of or relating to the ancient undivided Christian church.
d. Of or relating to those churches that have claimed to be representatives of the ancient undivided church.
Source : The Free Dictionary
Etymology : Mid-14th century, “of the doctrines of the ancient Church” (before the East/West schism), literally “universally accepted,” from French catholique, from Church Latin catholicus “universal, general,” from Greek katholikos, from phrase kath’ holou “on the whole, in general,” from kata “about” + genitive of holos “whole” (from PIE root *sol- “whole, well-kept”).
Medieval Latin catholicus was practically synonymous with Christian and meant “constituting or conforming to the church, its faith and organization” (as opposed to local sects or heresies). With capital C-, applied by Protestants to the Church in Rome circa 1554, after the Reformation began. General sense of “embracing all, universal” in English is from 1550s. Meaning “not narrow-minded or bigoted” is from 1580s. The Latin word was rendered in Old English as eallgeleaflic.
