 |
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Secular \Sec"u*lar\, adjective [OE. secular, seculer. L. saecularis, fr. saeculum a race, generation, age, the times, the world; perhaps akin to E. soul: cf. F. s['e]culier.]
1. Coming or observed once in an age or a century.
The secular year was kept but once a century. --Addison.
2. Pertaining to an age, or the progress of ages, or to a long period of time; accomplished in a long progress of time; as, secular inequality; the secular refrigeration of the globe.
3. Of or pertaining to this present world, or to things not spiritual or holy; relating to temporal as distinguished from eternal interests; not immediately or primarily respecting the soul, but the body; worldly.
New foes arise, Threatening to bind our souls with secular chains. --Milton.
4. (Eccl.) Not regular; not bound by monastic vows or rules; not confined to a monastery, or subject to the rules of a religious community; as, a secular priest.
He tried to enforce a stricter discipline and greater regard for morals, both in the religious orders and the secular clergy. --Prescott.
5. Belonging to the laity; lay; not clerical.
I speak of folk in secular estate. --Chaucer.
{Secular equation} (Astron.), the algebraic or numerical expression of the magnitude of the inequalities in a planet's motion that remain after the inequalities of a short period have been allowed for.
{Secular games} (Rom. Antiq.), games celebrated, at long but irregular intervals, for three days and nights, with sacrifices, theatrical shows, combats, sports, and the like.
{Secular music}, any music or songs not adapted to sacred uses.
{Secular hymn} or {Secular poem}, a hymn or poem composed for the secular games, or sung or rehearsed at those games.
From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Secular \Sec"u*lar\, noun
1. (Eccl.) A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules. --Burke.
2. (Eccl.) A church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir. --Busby.
3. A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.
From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:
secular
adjective: concerning those not members of the clergy; "set his collar in laic rather than clerical position"; "the lay ministry"; "the choir sings both sacred and secular music" [syn: {laic}, {lay}]
From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:
117 Moby Thesaurus words for "secular": Philistine, annual, biannual, biennial, bimonthly, biweekly, bodily, brother, carnal, carnal-minded, catamenial, catechumen, centenary, centennial, centesimal, centigrado, centuple, centuplicate, centurial, church member, churchman, churchwoman, civil, communicant, congregational, corporal, corporeal, daily, decennial, diurnal, down-to-earth, earthly, earthy, fleshly, fortnightly, hardheaded, hebdomadal, hourly, hundredfold, hundredth, hylic, laic, laical, lay, lay brother, lay sister, layman, laywoman, material, materialistic, materiate, matter-of-fact, menstrual, momentary, momently, monthly, mundane, nonclerical, nonecclesiastical, nonministerial, nonordained, nonpastoral, nonreligious, nonsacred, nonspiritual, parishioner, physical, popular, positivistic, practical, practical-minded, pragmatic, profane, quarterly, quotidian, rational, realist, realistic, reasonable, reprobate, sane, scientific, scientistic, secularist, secularistic, semestral, semiannual, semimonthly, semiweekly, semiyearly, sensible, sister, sober-minded, somatic, sound, sound-thinking, state, straight-thinking, substantial, temporal, terrestrial, tertian, triennial, unblessed, unhallowed, unholy, unideal, unidealistic, unregenerate, unromantic, unsacred, unsanctified, unsentimental, unspiritual, weekly, worldly, yearly
 |
Definitions retrieved from local copies of the freely distributed DICT client/server software and databases. Click here for database copyright information. - KM |