excommunicate
[ verb eks-kuh-myoo-ni-keyt; noun, adjective eks-kuh-myoo-ni-kit, -keyt ]
/ verb ˌɛks kəˈmyu nɪˌkeɪt; noun, adjective ˌɛks kəˈmyu nɪ kɪt, -ˌkeɪt /
verb (used with object), ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ed, ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ing.
to cut off from communion with a church or exclude from the sacraments of a church by ecclesiastical sentence.
to exclude or expel from membership or participation in any group, association, etc.: an advertiser excommunicated from a newspaper.
noun
an excommunicated person.
adjective
cut off from communion with a church; excommunicated.
Origin of excommunicate
1375–1425; late Middle English
excommunicaten (v.) < Late Latin
excommūnicātus literally, put out of the community (past participle of
excommūnicāre), equivalent to
ex-
ex-1 +
commūn(is)
common, public +
-ic- (by analogy with
commūnicāre to
communicate) +
-ātus
-ate1
OTHER WORDS FROM excommunicate
ex·com·mu·ni·ca·tor, noun un·ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ed, adjectiveWords nearby excommunicate
Example sentences from the Web for excommunicate
British Dictionary definitions for excommunicate
excommunicate
/ RC Church /
verb (ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪˌkeɪt)
(tr)
to sentence (a member of the Church) to exclusion from the communion of believers and from the privileges and public prayers of the Church
adjective (ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)
having incurred such a sentence
noun (ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkɪt, -ˌkeɪt)
an excommunicated person
Derived forms of excommunicate
excommunicable, adjective excommunication, noun excommunicative or excommunicatory, adjective excommunicator, nounWord Origin for excommunicate
C15: from Late Latin
excommūnicāre, literally: to exclude from the community, from Latin
commūnis
common