church

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. worship, service; ministry; denomination; Christendom, Holy Church; chapel, cathedral, synagogue, temple. See religion.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [A building consecrated to worship]

Syn. house of God, Lord's house, cathedral, temple, synagogue, mosque, masjid, oratory, place of worship, house of prayer, meetinghouse, chapel, minster, basilica, tabernacle, bethel, abbey, sanctuary, sacellum, chantry, pantheon, conventicle, collegiate church, mission, shrine, duomo (usu. in Italy), pagoda, kirk (Scottish); see also cathedral , temple .

2. [A divine service]

Syn. service, church service, public worship, rite, religious rite, ordinance, prayers, liturgy, prayer meeting, Sunday school, divine worship, Mass, Holy Mass, Lord's Supper, sacrament, the holy sacrament, Angelus, matins, vespers, ritual, morning prayer, evening prayer, evensong, camp meeting, congregational worship, fellowship, devotions, office, duty, revival meeting, exercises, liturgics, sermon, communion; see also ceremony 2 .

3. [An organized religious body]

Syn. congregation, denomination, Christian denomination, sect, chapter, body, order, communion, faith, religion, religious society, religious order, affiliation, persuasion, belief, faction, doctrine, creed, cult, ism*; see also Christianity 1 , 2 , gathering .

Christian churches include: Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Baptist, Latter-day Saint, Mormon*, Congregational, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox (Greek, Russian, Serbian, Antiochian, Armenian, Bulgarian, etc.), Orthodox Christianity, Coptic, Pentecostal, Evangelical Reformed, Church of England, Uniat, Melkite, Church of Rome, Church of Christ, Church of the Nazarene, Disciples of Christ, Church of the Brethren, Dunkers*, Dunkards*, United Brethren, Society of Friends, Quakers*.

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus) n.

chapel, cathedral, house of worship, temple, synagogue, basilica, meeting house, mosque, tabernacle, the Lord's house, bethel, abbey, sanctuary, denomination, sect, faith, affiliation. ''God between four walls.''—Victor Hugo. ''A hospital for sinners.''—L.L. Nash. ''Wherever one hand meets another helpfully.''—John Ruskin.

WORD FIND

• altar area reserved for clergy: chancel, sanctuary, presbytery

• balcony for choir: choir loft

• baptism basin: font

• baptism room/section: baptistery

• bell ringer: sexton

• bell tower: belfry

• bench: pew

• bishop’s church: cathedral

• Buddhist: pagoda

• central portion/ main area for congregation: nave

• collection/revenue: tithe, benefice

• confession booth in the Catholic church: confessional

• council of bishops: synod

• crucifixion sculptures: Calvary

• cup: chalice

• district: parish

• division, difference of opinion: schism

• faith/denomination: (Christian) Roman Catholic, Protestant, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Mormon, Episcopalian, Unitarian, Baptist, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostal, Church of the Nazarene, Seventh Day Adventists, Unification Church; Orthodox Judaism; Islam; Hindu; Buddhist

• gallery above side aisle: triforium

• governing body: classis

• grave digger: sexton

• high-ranking clergy: prelate

• house of clergyman: parsonage, rectory

• Italian cathedral: duomo

• Jewish house of worship: synagogue

• jurisdiction of archbishop: archdiocese

• jurisdiction of bishop: diocese

• land/property: glebe

• laws of: canon

• lay authority: elder

• light-admitting upper wall: clerestory

• members: congregation, fold, flock, Ecclesia

• Moslem: mosque

• mosque tower: minaret

• nunnery: convent

• office, endowed: benefice

• outreach church supported by larger church: mission

• preaching platform: pulpit

• reading stand: lectern, ambo

• repository for sacrements: ambry

• rite: baptism, benediction, communion, mass

• semicircular projection and vaulted roof area at east end behind altar: apse

• storage room for altar vessels: sacristy

• storage room for clergy and choir’s robes: vestry

• study of architecture, decoration: ecclesiology

• table or raised platform: altar

• tower: steeple, spire, belfry

• underground vault/burial place: crypt

• vestibule: narthex, galilee porch

• west-side chapel: galilee

• window, arched: lancet window

• window, large, round, stained glass: catherine wheel, rose window, marigold window

• yard, enclosed: parvis

see clergy, monastery, religion

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun Those who accept and practice a particular religious belief: communion, denomination, faith, persuasion, sect. See RELIGION. II adjective Of or relating to a church or to an established religion: churchly, ecclesiastical, religious, spiritual. See RELIGION.