cathedral

US /kəˈθiːdɹəl/ See IPA manual

Freq #8807

Meanings

1

noun
A large and important Christian church, especially the main one in a region run by a bishop.

Tourists come from all over the world to admire the medieval cathedral.

Thesaurus

Word family

Forms cathedrals

Derived forms cathedraledcathedralesquecathedraliccathedralismcathedrallikecathedraltownco-cathedralnoncathedralpro-cathedralprocathedral

Related forms archdiocesebishopric cathedra diocese

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

cathedral church
a church containing the official seat of a bishop

Noun + noun

Simplified etymology

Cathedral comes from Latin cathedra “seat, throne.” It was first used in cathedral church, meaning a church that contains a bishop’s throne.

Etymology

Ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”).

Topics

Places & Geography Architecture & Buildings

External links

# cathedral

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B2
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /kəˈθiːdɹəl/
**Frequency rank:** 8807

## Meanings
1. A large and important Christian church, especially the main one in a region run by a bishop.

## Examples
- Tourists come from all over the world to admire the medieval cathedral.

## Derived Forms
- cathedraled
- cathedralesque
- cathedralic
- cathedralism
- cathedrallike
- cathedraltown
- co-cathedral
- noncathedral
- pro-cathedral
- procathedral

## Related Forms
- archdiocese
- bishopric
- cathedra
- diocese

## Etymology
Ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”).

## AI Etymology
cathedral is an adjective, noun, and name. It is an ellipsis of cathedral church, from Middle English chirche cathederall, cathedrall chirch, calque of Late Latin ecclēsia cathedrālis (“church serving as the bishop's or archbishop's office”), from Latin ecclēsia + cathedrālis. Displaced Old English hēafodċiriċe (literally “main church, head church”). Current senses include a large and important Christian church, especially the main one in a region run by a bishop. Derived forms include cathedraled, cathedralesque, cathedralic, cathedralism, and cathedrallike. Related words include archdiocese, bishopric, cathedra, and diocese.

## Topics
- Places & Geography
- Architecture & Buildings

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