Sacerdotalis

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to priests or the priesthood, especially in terms of their duties and responsibilities
2. Pertaining to sacred rites and ceremonies conducted by clergy members, emphasizing their religious functions
3. Connected to the role of priests within religious contexts, focusing on the aspects of service and devotion

Etymology: "Sacerdotalis" is Latin, an adjective built from "sacerdos", "priest", which itself combines "sacer", "sacred", with a root meaning something like "to put, to do" (the same root as English "do" in its ancient sense of placing or making). The word is Latin rather than Old French or Old English in origin, and English took it directly rather than through another language. The Latin adjective simply meant "priestly" or "of a priest," with the suffix "-alis" forming the adjective from the noun, the same pattern seen in "natural" from "natura." English speakers have used the form "sacerdotal" to describe whatever belongs to the priestly office, including its duties of worship, sacrifice and pastoral care, rather than the individual priest himself. The word stays firmly in formal and theological writing, often used to contrast priestly authority with lay or prophetic roles, as in discussions of "sacerdotal" versus congregational forms of church life.

Synonyms: priestly, clerical, ecclesiastical, religious, holy

Antonyms: secular, lay, profane, nonreligious, worldly