Without a church; not having access to or connection with a church.
From church + -less (a suffix meaning 'without' or 'lacking'). The -less suffix comes from Old English and is the opposite of -ful, one of the oldest productive morphemes in the language.
The -less suffix is one of the oldest word-building patterns in English—Old English speakers were already combining it freely (like 'homeless,' 'fearless'), making it different from newer suffixes that sometimes feel forced.
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