catechist means one who practices catechesis, i.e., catechizes catechumens; a teacher who instructs students in the doctrines of a particular Christian denomination typically in preparation for confirmation. It carries an Arena rating of 1382, earned across 74 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, catechist ranks #6,977 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #8,366 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #8,495 of 17,142 for Most Ingenious Words, #8,708 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words.
Why “catechist” is a great word
CATECHIST — [Noun] A person, especially in a Christian church, who instructs others in the principles of religion, typically in preparation for baptism or confirmation. From the Greek katēkhētēs ("instructor"), from katēkhein ("to teach orally, instruct"), from kata- ("down, thoroughly") + ēkhein ("to sound, to echo"), with the sense of 'to resound' or 'to instruct by word of mouth'; attested in English from the 1560s. Unlike a theologian, who plumbs doctrine's depths, or an evangelist, who casts the net wide, the catechist works in the quiet, close spaces of formation. It is the calm voice in a sunlit parish hall, the simple diagram on a chalkboard, the steady repetition of ancient answers to a child's tentative questions—the humble, echoing conduit through which a tradition is made sound again.
noun
- One who practices catechesis, i.e., catechizes catechumens; a teacher who instructs students in the doctrines of a particular Christian denomination typically in preparation for confirmation.e.g.“Now he was not only a lay reader but a pastor’s warden although Umuaro did not have a pastor as yet, only a catechist.” — 1965, Chinua Achebe, Arrow of God, Penguin Classics (2010), pages 48-49:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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