catechize
/ˈkætɪˌkaɪz/
Etymology
Derived from Latin catēchizāre, from Ancient Greek κατηχίζω (katēkhízō), from κατηχέω (katēkhéō, “to teach (orally)”), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἠχέω (ēkhéō, “to sound, to resound”).
catechize means to give oral instruction, especially of religion; (specifically) by the formal question-and-answer method; in the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, to teach the catechism as preparation for confirmation. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 85 out of 100.
catechize is pronounced /ˈkætɪˌkaɪz/.
Why “catechize” is a great word
CATECHIZE — [Verb] To instruct systematically, especially in religion, by means of question and answer. From the Latin catēchizāre, from the Ancient Greek κατηχίζω (katēkhízō), from κατηχέω (katēkhéō, "to teach orally"), itself from κατά (katá, "down") + ἠχέω (ēkhéō, "to sound, to resound"). Unlike indoctrinate, which implies the uncritical imposition of rigid doctrine, or interrogate, which connotes a hostile inquisition, to catechize is a formal, dialogical ritual of imparting and verifying belief. It is the patient, rhythmic call-and-response in a dim chapel, the rehearsed recitation of tenets that shape a soul, and the murmured creed of a child at a bedside—a methodical architecture of faith built one answer upon the last, sounding belief down into the waiting vessel of a mind.
verb
- To give oral instruction, especially of religion; (specifically) by the formal question-and-answer method; in the Church of England and Roman Catholic Church, to teach the catechism as preparation for confirmation.
- To question at length.“She promised herself to ascertain thoroughly, after they should be comfortably settled in the ship, the animus with which the book was to be written. She was a very good sailor and she liked to talk at sea; there her husband would not be able to escape from her, and she foresaw the manner in which she should catechise him.”