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antidisestablishmentarianism - 3 dictionary results
an⋅ti⋅dis⋅es⋅tab⋅lish⋅men⋅tar⋅i⋅an⋅ism
[an-tee-dis-uh-stab-lish-muh
n-tair-ee-uh-niz-uhm, an-tahy-] 
–noun
| opposition to the withdrawal of state support or recognition from an established church, esp. the Anglican Church in 19th-century England. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source
|
Link To antidisestablishmentarianism
| Main Entry: | antidisestablishmentarianism |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | originally, opposition to the disestablishment of the Church of England, now opposition to the belief that there should no longer be an official church in a country |
| Example: | When people are asked for the longest word they know, they often say antidisestablishmentarianism. |
antidisestablishmentarianism
1838, said by Weekley to be first recorded in Gladstone's "Church and State," "in reference to a scheme directed against the Church of England," from establishment in the sense of "the ecclesiastical system established by law; the Church of England" (1731). Hence, establishmentarianism "the principle of a state church," and disestablish (1598) "to deprive (a church) of especial state patronage and support," first used specifically of Christianity in 1806. Rarely used at all now except in examples of the longest words, amongst which it has been counted since at least 1923.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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