All Words Glossary Glossary of Religion Terms beginning with letter C Browse the Religion Glossary A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z c. abbreviation (context, preposition) circa The document was written in the Middle Ages, 1250. (context, noun) city calced adjective Used of religious orders to indicate that they wear shoes. caloyer noun a reclusive monk of the Greek Orthodox Church camerlengo noun , plural camerlengos chamberlain; the cardinal who administers the Roman Catholic Church in the interregnum between Popes Candlemas noun The festival in the Christian year that commemorates the purification of the Virgin Mary and the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple February 2nd in the western Christian church and February 15th in the Orthodox church. A quarter day in Scotland. canon noun (plural: canons) a generally accepted principle. The trial must proceed according to the canons of law. A group of literary works that are generally accepted as representing a field. "the durable canon of American short fiction" William Styron. The works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic. the entire Shakespeare canon A Eucharistic Prayer, particularly, the Roman Canon. A religious law or body of law decreed by the church. We must proceed according to law. An ecclesiastical title. A piece of music in which the same melody is played by different voices, but beginning at different times. Pachelbel"s Canon has become very popular. canonical adjective (theology) Present in a canon of Scripture. The w:Gospel of Luke, Gospel of Luke is a New Testament book. In conformity with canon law. According to recognised or orthodox rules. The men played golf in the most way, with no local rules. Stated or used in the most basic and straightforwardly applicable manner. This definition would be more useful if it were . (music) In the form of a canon. Of or pertaining to an ecclesiastical chapter (context, math, compsci) In canonical form. canonize verb (canoniz, es) To establish as a formal, standard rule. To define someone as a saint. cantor noun singer, especially someone who takes a special role of singing or song leading at a ceremony Capuchin proper noun A member of an order of Roman Catholic friars. Cardinal proper noun (baseball) A player on the team "The St. Louis Cardinals". Smith became a as the result of a pre-season trade. A player on the team "Arizona Cardinals". A sports team or a player on a sports team at w:Stanford University, Stanford University. A student or player on a sports team at the w:University of Louisville, University of Louisville. <!-- split to Cardinals Cardinals (baseball) The team "w:St. Louis Cardinals, The St. Louis Cardinals". The team "w:Arizona Cardinals, The Arizona Cardinals". A sports team at the w:University of Louisville, University of Louisville. The Cardinals take the field. --> Carthusian proper noun A member of a Christian contemplative order of monks founded by w:Bruno of Cologne:St Bruno, Bruno of Cologne (St Bruno) in 1084. adjective Of, or relating to this order. catacomb nounplural catacombs an underground system of tunnels and chambers with recesses for graves, used (in former times) as a cemetery Note: often used in the plural       catechesis noun religious instruction given orally to catechumens catechism noun a book, in question and answer form, summarizing the basic principles of Christianity a basic manual in some subject a set of questions designed to determine knowledge catechist noun (Christianity) One who practices catechesis, i.e., catechizes catechumens; a teacher who instructs students in the doctrines of a particular Christian denomination typically in preparation for confirmation. catechize verb (catechizes, catechizing, catechized) (Christianity) To give religious instruction, often by the question-and-answer method, especially children or adolescents who are preparing for confirmation. catechumen noun a convert to Christianity under instruction before baptism; a young Christian preparing for confirmation 1963: Here in this room an old man had killed and boiled a , had committed sodomy with a rat, had discussed a rodent nunhood with V., a future saint " depending which story you listened to. " w:Thomas Pynchon, Thomas Pynchon, V. cathedral noun The principal church of a bishop's diocese which contains an episcopal throne. Catholic noun A member of a Catholic church. The wife of the Prime Minister is a . adjective Of the Western Christian church, as opposed to the Orthodox church. Christmas is celebrated at different dates in the and Orthodox calendars. Of the Roman Catholic church. The Church of the Sacred Heart is a one. Catholic Church noun Literally "universal church", the whole body of Christendom, especially before the division into Western and Eastern churches. The Roman Catholic Church, which consists of 23 particular Churches in full communion with the Bishop of Rome. (rfv-sense) The Eastern Orthodox Church. (rfv-sense) Any of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Any of the independent Catholic Churches, such as the Old Catholic Church, the Polish National Catholic Church, or the Orthodox Catholic Church. Any Christian denomination that identifies explicitly as "Catholic" based on its affirmation of the Nicene Creed, such as any of the Anglican Churches. Catholicism noun The faiths, practices and doctrines of a Catholic Church, but especially of the Roman Catholic Church The state or quality of being catholic or universal; catholicity. --w:Jer. Taylor, Jer. Taylor. Liberality of sentiment; breadth of view. celebrant noun A person who officiates at a religious ceremony, especially a marriage or the Eucharist A person who is celebrating something celebrate verb (celebrat, ing) To extol or honour in a solemn manner; as, to celebrate the name of the Most High. To honour by solemn rites, by ceremonies of joy and respect, or by refraining from ordinary business; to observe duly; to keep; as, to celebrate a birthday. To perform or participate in, as a sacrament or solemn rite; to solemnize; to perform with appropriate rites; as, to celebrate a marriage. cell noun A component of an electrical battery. This MP3 player runs on 2 AAA cells. A room in a prison for containing inmates. The combatants spent the night in separate cells. A room in a monastery for sleeping one person. Gregor Mendel must have spent a good amount of time outside of his . A small group of people forming part of a larger organization. Those three fellows are the local of that organization. (meteorology) A small thunderstorm, caused by convection, that forms ahead of a storm front. There is a powerful storm headed our way. (cytology) The basic unit of a living organism, surrounded by a cell membrane. There is a virtual zoo of single organisms living in your mouth. (biology) An cavity in a structure such as a honeycomb or ovary. The bee filled the with honey. <!--this is a proper noun sense, and is encyclopedic (biology) the title of a scientific journal published by Wikipedia:Elsevier, Elsevier It was published in Cell. ''--> (computing) The minimal unit of a cellular automaton that can change state and has an associated behavior. The upper right always starts with the color green. (communication) A short, fixed-length packet as in Wikipedia:Asynchronous Transfer Mode, asynchronous transfer mode. Virtual Channel number 5 received 170 cells. (communication) A region of radio reception that is a part of a larger radio network. I get good reception in my home because it is near a tower. (context, US, informal) A cellular phone. (geometry) A three-dimensional facet of a polytope. celtic cross noun a Christian symbol, common in Ireland, which combines the cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. cenacle noun a dining room, especially one on an upper floor (context, by extension) a small circle or gathering of specialists (writers etc); a clique cenobite noun (cenobite, s) A member of a Greek monastic religious order; a caloyer 1980: Lamprecht knew very well how the war was going and was perfunctory in his rounding up of Jews and cenobites. " Anthony Burgess, Earthly Powers ceremonial noun (plural ceremonials) a ceremony, or series of ceremonies, prescribed by ritual adjective of, relating to, or used in a ceremony; ritual or formal chancellor noun A judicial court of chancery, which in England and in the United States is distinctively a court with equity jurisdiction. chancery noun In England, formerly, the highest court of judicature next to the Parliament, exercising jurisdiction at law, but chiefly in equity; but under the jurisdiction act of 1873 it became the chancery division of the High Court of Justice, and now exercises jurisdiction only in equity. In the Unites States, a court of equity; equity; proceeding in equity. chapel noun A place of worship, smaller than, or subordinate to a church. A place of worship in a civil institution such as an airport, prison etc. A funeral home, or a room in one for holding funeral services. chaplain noun A member of the clergy officially assigned to an institution, group, private chapel, etc. chapter noun One of the main sections into which the text of a book is divided. An administrative division of an organization, usually local to a specific area. character noun A being involved in the action of a story. A symbol used to represent a sound or a word. A distinguishing feature; characteristic; A complex of mental and ethical traits marking a person or a group. A moral strength. "You may not like to eat liver," said Calvin's father, "but it builds ." A person with many notable or eccentric features. (mathematics) A complex number representing an element of a finite Abelian group. (computing) One of the basic elements making up a text file or string: a code representing a printing character or a control character. Synonymous with byte in some environments. charge noun Someone or something entrusted to one's care, i.e. a child to a babysitter. A load or burden. 2005, w:Plato, Plato, Sophist. Translation by Lesley Brown. w:Stephanus pagination, 261a. : we'll nail the sophist to it, if we can get him on that ; The amount of money levy, levied for a service. An instruction. An impetuous attack. An electric charge. (basketball) An offensive foul in which the player with the ball moves into a stationary defender. A measured amount of powder and/or shot in a firearm cartridge. (heraldry) An image displayed on an escutcheon verb (charg, ing) To place a burden upon. To assign a duty to. I'm charging you with cleaning up the kitchen. To formally accuse of a crime. I'm charging you with grand theft auto. To assign a debit to an account. Let's charge this to marketing. To pay using a credit card. Can I charge this with my corporate card? To cause to take on an electric charge. Rubbing amber with wool will charge it quickly. To move forward quickly and forcefully, particularly in combat, on horseback or both. (military) To attack by moving forward quickly in a group. (basketball) To commit a charging foul. (cricket) (of a batsman) To take a few steps doen the pitch towards the bowler as he delivers the ball, either to disrupt the length of the delivery, or to get into a better position to hit the ball. To ready a firearm for use Charge your weapons, we're moving up charisma noun Personal charm or magnetism (Christianity) An extraordinary power granted by the Holy Spirit The ability to influence without the use of logic. Charity proper noun (given name, female) first used by Puritans, originally more popular than Faith and Hope but rarely used today because of the modern side meaning of charity as welfare work. chasuble noun the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for celebrating Eucharist or Mass 1936: he"s quaky and qualmy and queasy and teasy; he chews chasubles and ripples rasubly. " Henry Miller, Black Spring (seeCites) cherub noun (pl2=cherubim) A winged creature represented over 90 times in the Bible as attending on God, later seen as the second highest order of angels, ranked above thrones and below seraphim. First mention is in http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Bible_%28World_English%29/Genesis Chapter_3 Genesis 3:24 A statue or other depiction of such a being, typically in the form of a winged child. (figurative) A person, especially a child, seen as being particularly innocent or angelic. chiliasm noun a 1000 year period of peace and prosperity, sometimes equated with the return of Jesus for that period chi-rho noun A combination of the Greek letters chi and rho. The symbol was created by Emperor Constantine I. choir noun singing group; group of people who sing together; company of people who are trained to sing together The church practices Thursday nights. the part of a church where the assembles for song (italbrac, Christian angelology) one of the nine ranks or orders of angels Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones are three of the choirs of angels. chrism noun A mixture of oil and balm, consecrated for use as an anointing fluid in certain Christian ceremonies, especially confirmation 1984, "The King," Will cried, "is my master and bathed in the of the Lord God." " Anthony Burgess, Enderby's Dark Lady Christ noun A figure or other artistic depiction of Jesus Christ. proper noun (Judaism) The "Lord's anointed one" or messiah predicted in Jewish prophecy. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. (Matthew 24:24) (Christianity) (italbrac, literally) The title given to Jesus of Nazareth, seen as fulfilling messianic prophecy; often treated as a personal name. christen verb To baptise. To name. Christendom proper noun The Christian world. christening noun The Christian sacrament at which someone, usually a child, is baptized and given a Christian name verb (present participle of, christen) Christian noun (context, Christianity) A believer in Christianity. (context, Christianity) An individual who seeks to live his or her life according to the principles and values taught by Jesus Christ. proper noun (given name, male) found in England since the twelfth century. (given name, female) of medieval usage, rare today. adjective (context, not comparable) Of, like or relating to Christianity or Christians. Kind, charitable. That's very of you. To non-Christians, this may be an offensive usage (similarly, see the offensive usage of Jew) Christianity noun (Christianities, -) A monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Christianize verb To make Christian. To cause to convert to Christianity. Christian name noun A first name formally given to a child at a Christian baptism. (context, by extension) Any forename. Christmas proper noun The Christian holiday which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ. This we'll open presents then go to grandma's for dinner. The day it is celebrated, 25th December, an English quarter day. The season (traditionally from the 24th of December to the 6th of January) around the celebration of Christ's birth. The shoppers spent less this December, than last year, but our store will probably see just as many returned items during the twelve days of Christmas. (US, retailing) The period from the Friday following Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve, busy with shopping and preparations for Christmas. Christmastide proper noun the Christmas season Christocentric adjective of a form of Christianity that concentrates on the teaching of Jesus Christ church noun A Christian house of worship; a building where religious services take place. There is a lovely little in the valley. A Christian religious organization, local or general. The Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church in 1534. The across the street has a service at 10 am. A group of people who follow the same Christian religious beliefs, local or general. These worshippers comprise the Church of Christ. Be shepherds of the of God (Acts 20:28). A time of public worship; a worship service. I'll be there after . verbto church (transitive) To conduct a religious service for a woman after childbirth churchman noun (Plural: Churchmen) A person (originally a man) of authority in a religious organization; a cleric. The bishop, a highly placed , stated the religion's opinion. Church of England proper noun The established Christian church in England, and the mother church of the Anglican Community. Abbreviated as C of E. Church of Rome proper noun the Roman Catholic Church churchwarden noun A lay officer of the Church of England who handles the secular affairs of the parish. A similar functionary of the Episcopal church. churchy adjective religious, pious. Can be used pejoratively. ciborium noun (ciboria) A fixed vaulted canopy over a Christian altar, supported on four columns A covered receptacle for holding the consecrated wafers of the Eucharist cilice noun a hair shirt (mostly in Opus Dei) A leather strap studded with metallic barbs that cut into flesh as a constant reminder of Christ's suffering circumcision noun The act of excising or amputating the foreskin or prepuce from the penis. The act of excising tissue from the vulva of the female.