encyclical

encyclical
/en sik"li keuhl, -suy"kli-/, n.
1. Rom. Cath. Ch. a letter addressed by the pope to all the bishops of the church.
adj.
2. (of a letter) intended for wide or general circulation; general.
Also, encyclic.
[1610-20; < LL encyclicus ( < Gk enkýklios, with -icus -IC for -ios, equiv. to en- EN-2 + kýkl(os) circle, CYCLE + -ios adj. suffix) + -AL1]

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▪ papal document
      pastoral letter written by the pope for the whole Roman Catholic church on matters of doctrine, morals, or discipline. Although formal papal letters for the entire church were issued from the earliest days of the church, the first commonly called an encyclical was Ubi primum, dealing with episcopal duties, published by Benedict XIV in 1740. Only from the time of Pius IX (1846–78) have encyclicals been frequently used. Encyclicals are normally addressed to the bishops of the church, but a few (notably Pacem in terris by John XXIII) have been addressed also to “all men of good will.” The formal title of an encyclical consists of the first few words of the official text; the language is usually Latin, and the document is not considered to be infallible.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Encyclical — • According to its etymology, an encyclical is nothing more than a circular letter. In modern times, usage has confined the term almost exclusively to certain papal documents which differ in their technical form from the ordinary style of either… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • encyclical — index public (known) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • encyclical — (adj.) in reference to a letter sent by the Pope to all the bishops, 1640s, from L.L. encyclicus, from L. encyclius, from Gk. enkyklios in a circle, circular (see ENCYCLOPEDIA (Cf. encyclopedia)). As a noun, from 1837 …   Etymology dictionary

  • encyclical — [en sik′li kəl, insik′li kəl; ] occas. [, en sī′kli kəl, insī′klikəl] adj. [LL encyclicus < Gr enkyklios, in a circle, general, common < en , in + kyklos, a circle: see CYCLE] for general circulation: also encyclic n. R.C.Ch. a papal… …   English World dictionary

  • Encyclical — An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Christian church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop. The word comes from Latin encyclia (from the… …   Wikipedia

  • Encyclical — Encyclic En*cyc lic, Encyclical En*cyc li*cal, a. [L. encyclios of a circle, general, Gr. ?; ? in + ? circle: cf. F. encyclique. See {Cycle}.] Sent to many persons or places; intended for many, or for a whole order of men; general; circular; as,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Encyclical — Encyclic En*cyc lic, Encyclical En*cyc li*cal, n. An encyclical letter, esp. one from a pope. Shipley …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • encyclical — UK [ɪnˈsɪklɪk(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms encyclical : singular encyclical plural encyclicals an official announcement by the pope in the form of a letter …   English dictionary

  • encyclical — distributed distributed adj. 1. spread from a central location to multiple points or recipients. Opposite of {concentrated}. [Narrower terms: {apportioned, dealt out, doled out, meted out, parceled out}; {diffuse, diffused}; {dispensed};… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • encyclical — I. adjective Etymology: Late Latin encyclicus, from Greek enkyklios circular, general, from en in + kyklos circle more at in, wheel Date: 1647 addressed to all the individuals of a group ; general II. noun Date: 1837 an encyclical letter; …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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