ecclesiastical

[ ih-klee-zee-as-ti-kuh l ]

/ ɪˌkli ziˈæs tɪ kəl /

of or relating to the church or the clergy; churchly; clerical; not secular.

Origin of ecclesiastical

late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at Ecclesiastes, -ical

ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb an·ti·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjective an·ti·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb in·ter·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjective

in·ter·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb non·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal, adjective non·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb un·ec·cle·si·as·ti·cal·ly, adverb

So here, for your Christmas Eve pleasure, are 20 of my favorites, 10 from the ecclesiastical division and 10 secular.

Yes, I Like Christmas Music. Stop Laughing. |Michael Tomasky |December 24, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Rev. Schaefer stands in a long tradition of civil disobedience, or in this case, ecclesiastical disobedience.

Love Trumped Rules for Fired Methodist Rev. Frank Schaefer |Gene Robinson |December 20, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
It seems that Bush is simply taking a stab at landscapes and ecclesiastical architecture.

George W. Bush ‘Comes Out’ As Artist |Lizzie Crocker |February 8, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
Wordsworth, until he began the Ecclesiastical Sonnets, was betrayed by his "penchant for paradox."

The London Mercury, Vol. I, Nos. 1-6, November 1919 to April 1920 |Various

As an ecclesiastical symbol it has remained consistent to the present day.

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 6 |Various
But they will be so modified and supplemented that they will present an ecclesiastical type of their own.

India, Its Life and Thought |John P. Jones
It had an ecclesiastical sign,—the Mitre,—and a bar that seemed to be the next best thing to a bishopric, it was so snug.

The Holly-Tree |Charles Dickens
It almost coincided with the line of demarcation between the two ecclesiastical dioceses into which the island was divided.

The History of Cuba, vol. 4 |Willis Fletcher Johnson

ecclesiastical

/ (ɪˌkliːzɪˈæstɪkəl) /

of or relating to the Christian Church

ecclesiastically, adverb