[kath-uh-lik, kath-lik] 
| 1. | broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal. |
| 2. | universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all. |
| 3. | pertaining to the whole Christian body or church. |
[kath-uh-lik, kath-lik] | 1. | of or pertaining to a Catholic church, esp. the Roman Catholic Church. |
| 2. | Theology.
|
| 3. | pertaining to the Western Church. |
| 4. | a member of a Catholic church, esp. of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| cath·o·lic (kāth'ə-lĭk, kāth'lĭk) adj.
A member of a Catholic church, especially a Roman Catholic. [Middle English catholik, universally accepted, from Old French catholique, from Latin catholicus, universal, from Greek katholikos, from katholou, in general : kat-, kata-, down, along, according to; see cata- + holou (from neuter genitive of holos, whole; see sol- in Indo-European roots).] ca·thol'i·cal·ly (kə-thŏl'ĭk-lē) adv. |
catholic
(from Greek katholikos, "universal"), the characteristic that, according to ecclesiastical writers since the 2nd century, distinguished the Christian Church at large from local communities or from heretical and schismatic sects. A notable exposition of the term as it had developed during the first three centuries of Christianity was given by St. Cyril of Jerusalem in his Catecheses (348): the church is called catholic on the ground of its worldwide extension, its doctrinal completeness, its adaptation to the needs of men of every kind, and its moral and spiritual perfection.
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