Crossword Dictionary

What's The Definition Of Ecclesiastical?

\Ec*cle`si*as"tic*al\, a. [See {Ecclesiastical}, a.] Of or pertaining to the church; relating to the organization or government of the church; not secular; as, ecclesiastical affairs or history; ecclesiastical courts. Every circumstance of ecclesiastical order and discipline was an abomination. --Cowper. {Ecclesiastical commissioners for England}, a permanent commission established by Parliament in 1836, to consider and report upon the affairs of the Established Church. {Ecclesiastical courts}, courts for maintaining the discipline of the Established Church; -- called also {Christian courts}. [Eng.] {Ecclesiastical law}, a combination of civil and canon law as administered in ecclesiastical courts. [Eng.] {Ecclesiastical modes} (Mus.), the church modes, or the scales anciently used. {Ecclesiastical States}, the territory formerly subject to the Pope of Rome as its temporal ruler; -- called also {States of the Church}.