excommunicate
/ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkeɪt/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.17 in modern English
28
Scrabble Score
13
Letters
5
Syllables
10
Unique Chars
Meaning
verb
To officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community.
Transitive verb
noun
An excommunicated person.
Example Sentences
- "“Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It’s absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her pain."
- "The Vatican has excommunicated a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics who defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent, creating a schism in the Roman Catholic church. […] “The Vatican hopes that by being harsh on the bishops, the priests and faithful, maybe some of them will repent and turn back to mother church. Because it’s not nice to be excommunicated.”"
- "Samois includes celebate ^([sic]), heterosexual and bisexual women as well as lesbians, and I feel very strongly that this is the wisest choice. Our community is so fragile that we can't afford to fragment it by excommunicating non-lesbian women."
- "Although our Macs served us well, in those early, dark years Macintosh users were effectively excommunicated by the computer establishment."
- "[…]the iewes had conſpyred allredy that yff eny man did confeſſe that he was Chriſt / he ſhulde be excommunicat out of the Sinagoge."
- "Thou ſhalt ſtand curſt, and excommunicate[…]"
Etymology
From Ecclesiastical Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“excommunicate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ex- + communicate.
Word Breakdown
- Root: excommunicātus, -
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkeɪt/
- British English: /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
Usage
Subject
Wiktionary places this term in Law.