Churchliness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The state of possessing a devout nature and strong moral values commonly relates to the adherence to religious practices and community norms
2. The quality reflecting deep spirituality and commitment to ethical standards is often tied to participation in religious institutions and ceremonies
3. The trait of embodying spiritual dedication and ethical integrity is often associated with involvement in religious communities and their rituals

Etymology: "Churchliness" is a plain English formation: the adjective "churchly" with the suffix "-ness" added to turn it into a noun for a quality. "Churchly" itself means "of or befitting a church," built from "church" plus "-ly," the ending that turns a noun into an adjective meaning "like" or "belonging to." The result names the quality of being churchly. The suffix does most of the work here. "-ness" is one of English's oldest and most productive noun-forming endings, descended from Old English "-nes," which was attached to adjectives to name their state or quality, as in "goodness" or "kindness." Because it can be added to almost any adjective, speakers could create a noun for a quality whenever they needed one, and "churchliness" is one such ordinary coinage.

Synonyms: piousness, holiness

Antonyms: secularity, worldliness