secular

views updated Jun 27 2018

sec·u·lar / ˈsekyələr/ • adj. 1. denoting attitudes, activities, or other things that have no religious or spiritual basis: secular buildings secular moral theory. Contrasted with sacred.2. Christian Church (of clergy) not subject to or bound by religious rule; not belonging to or living in a monastic or other order.Contrasted with regular.3. Astron. of or denoting slow changes in the motion of the sun or planets.4. Econ. (of a fluctuation or trend) occurring or persisting over an indefinitely long period: there is evidence that the slump is not cyclical but secular.5. occurring once every century or similarly long period (used esp. in reference to celebratory games in ancient Rome).• n. a secular priest.DERIVATIVES: sec·u·lar·ism / -ˌrizəm/ n.sec·u·lar·ist / -rist/ n.sec·u·lar·i·ty / ˌsekyəˈlaritē/ n.sec·u·lar·i·za·tion / ˌsekyələrəˈzāshən/ n.sec·u·lar·ize / -ˌrīz/ v.sec·u·lar·ly adv.

secular

views updated May 14 2018

secular
A. pert. to the world, worldly XIII; not sacred, profane XV; non-religious XVI;

B. occurring once in an age XVI; living or lasting for an age or for ages XVII; sb. secular cleric XIII. In A — OF. seculer (mod. séculier) — L. sæculāris, f. sæculum generation, age, in ChrL. the World (esp. opp. to the Church); in B immed. — L. sæculāris; see -AR.

So secularity XVII. — (O)F. or medL.

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