christendom · noun — the Christian world; Christ's Church on Earth.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
christendom is pronounced /ˈkɹɪsn̩dəm/.
Why “christendom” is a great word
The collective body of Christian believers, nations, and societies, or the worldwide domain of Christianity. From Middle English *cristendom*, *cristendome*, from Old English *cristendōm*, equivalent to *Christen* ("Christian") + *-dom* (a suffix forming nouns denoting a state, condition, or domain). Unlike "Christianity," which centers on doctrine and practice, or "church," which denotes a congregation or spiritual institution, Christendom is the civilization built upon that faith. It is the Gothic spire piercing the mist above a Flemish town, the illuminated margin of a monk's manuscript, and the clatter of pilgrims' staffs upon cobblestones from Canterbury to Compostela—the slow accumulation of a world imagined whole, now fragmenting into memory.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
From Middle English cristendom, cristendome, from Old English cristendōm, equivalent to Christen + -dom.
noun
- The Christian world; Christ's Church on Earth.e.g.“The Arian doctrine which then divided Christendom.” — 1670, John Milton, “(please specify the page)”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC:
- The state of being a (devout) Christian; Christian belief or faith.
- The name received at baptism; any name or appellation.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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