Laical

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈleɪ.ɪkəl/

Definitions

1. Relating to or involving the laity rather than the clergy; secular or non-ecclesiastical in nature
2. Pertaining to the ordinary members of a religious community, especially in contrast to the clergy
3. embodying secular or worldly characteristics rather than spiritual ones

Etymology: In ancient Greek, "laos" meant "the people" in a general sense, the common mass of a community as opposed to those who held office or special roles. From it came "laikos," an adjective for the ordinary folk, which Christian Greek writers applied to members of the church who were not clergy. Latin took the idea over as "laicus," and that Latin term is the ancestor of the words used for the non-ordained faithful. English has two relatives of this root. "Lay," meaning non-clerical, came through Old French, so it is an inherited, worn-down form that has been in use for centuries. "Laical" and its shorter twin "laic" entered English later as direct borrowings from Latin, which is why they keep the fuller shape. The "-al" ending is a common English adjective suffix, so "laical" is simply the Latin-derived "laic" with that extra ending added.

Synonyms: secular, nonclerical, lay