immaculate

views updated May 29 2018

im·mac·u·late / iˈmakyəlit/ • adj. (esp. of a person or their clothes) perfectly clean, neat, or tidy: an immaculate white suit. ∎  free from flaws or mistakes; perfect: an immaculate safety record. ∎  Theol. (in the Roman Catholic Church) free from sin. ∎  Bot. & Zool. uniformly colored without spots or other marks.DERIVATIVES: im·mac·u·la·cy / -ləsē/ n.im·mac·u·late·ly adv.im·mac·u·late·ness n.

immaculate

views updated May 17 2018

immaculate Immaculate Conception the doctrine that God preserved the Virgin Mary from the taint of original sin from the moment she was conceived. The belief was much disputed in the Middle Ages, but was generally accepted by Roman Catholics from the 16th century; it was defined as a dogma of the Roman Catholic Church in 1854. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on 8 December.
Immaculate Heart of Mary the heart of the Virgin Mary as an object of devotion in the Roman Catholic Church.

immaculate

views updated Jun 27 2018

immaculate XV. — L. immculātus; see IM-2, MACULATE.

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