In the manner or direction of a church, or moving in the direction toward a church following traditional customs.
Compound of 'church' and the directional suffix '-wise' (from Old English 'wis,' meaning direction). The '-wise' suffix became productive in Middle English for describing manner or direction of movement.
The '-wise' suffix was absolutely prolific in creating adverbs—you can say 'clockwise,' 'lengthwise,' 'likewise'—and 'churchwise' represents a religious variation of this pattern, reflecting how medieval life was organized around ecclesiastical directions and purposes.
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