Definition
Buildings used for Christian worship and religious ceremonies. Can also refer to organized Christian denominations or the institution of Christianity as a whole.
Etymology
From Old English 'cirice', derived from Greek 'kyriakon' meaning 'Lord's house', from 'kyrios' meaning 'lord' or 'master'. The word evolved through various Germanic languages before settling into its current English form.
Kelly Says
The word 'church' ultimately means 'Lord's house' in Greek, but it took a fascinating journey through Germanic tribes who had never seen a church building - they adapted this foreign concept into their own language patterns. This linguistic journey mirrors Christianity's own spread from Mediterranean cities into European forests and fields.
Translations
AMአማርኛ
ቤተ ክርስቲያን
betekristiyan
CACatalà
esglésies
eh-SGLEH-see-ehs
CSČeština
kostely
koh-steh-lee
DEDeutsch
Kirchen
KEER-chen
ELΕλληνικά
εκκλησίες
eh-klee-SEE-ehs
ESEspañol
iglesias
ee-GLEH-see-ahs
FRFrançais
églises
ay-GLEEZ
HIहिन्दी
गिरजाघर
girjaghar
HUMagyar
templomok
tehm-ploh-mohk
IDBahasa Indonesia
gereja
geh-reh-jah
ITItaliano
chiese
KYEH-zeh
MSBahasa Melayu
gereja
geh-reh-jah
MYမြန်မာ
ဘုရားကျောင်း
paya-kyang
NLNederlands
kerken
KEHR-ken
PLPolski
kościoły
kosh-CHYO-wy
PTPortuguês
igrejas
ee-GREH-zahs
RORomână
biserici
bee-seh-REE-kee
RUРусский
церкви
tserk-VEE
SVSvenska
kyrkor
SHEER-kohr
SWKiswahili
kanisa
kah-NEE-sah
TAதமிழ்
தேவாலயம்
thevaalayam
TLTL
simbahan
seem-bah-hahn
TRTürkçe
kiliseler
kee-lee-seh-lehr
UKУкраїнська
церкви
tserk-VEE
VITiếng Việt
nhà thờ
nha thoh
YOYO
ile ijọsin
ee-leh ee-joh-sin