excommunication
/ˌek.skəˌmjuː.nɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (bre, ipa) · /ˌek.skəˌmjuː.nəˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (ame, ipa) · /ˌek-skə-ˌmyü-nə-ˈkā-shən/ (ame, mw)
excommunication — noun
- excommunicationsingular
- excommunicationsplural
1. a church's formal decision to remove a member from its community, especially in
a church's formal decision to remove a member from its community, especially in the Roman Catholic tradition, so that the person can no longer receive the sacraments or be treated as belonging to the faith.
The bishop announced the excommunication of three priests who had openly rejected church teaching.
excommunication of [person] — formal announcement pattern
In medieval Europe, excommunication was one of the most feared punishments a king could face.
historical context: feared social and political consequence
Roya wrote her thesis on how excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church shaped European politics.
Several theologians argued that excommunication should never be used as a political weapon.
After years of public dispute, the priest faced excommunication for refusing to obey the Vatican.
- expulsion
broader; works for any organisation, while excommunication is religious
- anathema
more severe form of excommunication in older Catholic usage; rare in modern English
- banishment
removal from a place or community in general; not specifically religious
- communion
the state of being a full member of the church, the opposite condition
- reinstatement
formal return to church membership after excommunication is lifted
文法句型
excommunication of [person]
excommunication from [the Church]
用法筆記
Almost always tied to Christian churches, especially the Roman Catholic Church. Often appears with the prepositions 'of' (the person being expelled) and 'from' (the church doing the expelling). Used both as a count noun (a specific case) and uncountable (the practice in general).