ecumene means all known inhabited and civilized areas of the world. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
ecumene is pronounced /iːˈkjuː.mə.ni/.
Why “ecumene” is a great word
ECUMENE — [Noun] The permanently inhabited and civilized portions of the world. From Ancient Greek οἰκουμένη (oikouménē, "inhabited world"), from οἰκέω (oikéō, "I inhabit, dwell"), from οἶκος (oîkos, "house, dwelling"). First recorded in English 1800–10. Unlike "anecumene" (its stark, uninhabited antipode) or "wilderness" (a natural realm untouched by cultivation), the ecumene is the domain of the hearth, the field, and the city wall. It is the amber glow of city grids seen from an evening flight, the geometric quilt of cultivated fields, and the worn footpath between villages—a testament not merely to human presence, but to the fragile, accumulating project of making a world a home.
noun
- All known inhabited and civilized areas of the world.“Near-synonym: civilization”
- Unification of Christianity and of Christendom.