Comparative form of churchly; more appropriate to or characteristic of a church or religious setting.
From churchly (church + -ly, an adjectival suffix meaning 'of, relating to, or characteristic of') + -er (the comparative suffix). The -ly suffix comes from Old English -lic, meaning 'like' or 'having the nature of.'
English comparative adjectives show a quirk: short words take -er (nicer, happier) while longer ones take 'more' (more beautiful, more serious)—'churchlier' sounds archaic to modern ears because we'd say 'more churchly,' showing how word-length influences grammar.
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