ecclesiastical province
- noun
- /ɪˌklizɪˈæstɪkəl ˈprɒvɪns/
- Formal
- Things looked even brighter when, in 1855, "Mount St. Mary's of the West" was designated the major seminary for the ecclesiastical province of Cincinnati, which had become an archdiocese five years earlier.
Examples
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In any case, Finland gradually became a part of the ecclesiastical province of Uppsala and, as such, one small branch in the supranational papal Catholic Church.
Academic text (1998) -
The centuries-old link with the Holy See was severed, and a national church replaced the Catholic ecclesiastical province.
Academic text (1998) -
The archbishop oversees the ecclesiastical province, ensuring that all churches within its boundaries adhere to their shared beliefs.
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During the meeting, the leaders discussed the future of the ecclesiastical province and its role in the community.
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Each ecclesiastical province is governed by an archbishop, who is responsible for various administrative tasks and spiritual guidance.
Synonyms
A district of churches led by an archbishop in some Christian churches
An area that an archbishop is in charge of
An old province or local government area like in ancient Greece
How Big
- Specialized
- Formal
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an administrative district of the church' is compositionally derived from 'ecclesiastical' (church-related) + 'province' (regional administrative unit), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer the MWE's general sense. While there are specific ecclesiastical nuances (jurisdiction of an archbishop), the adjective+noun combination is transparent and cross-linguistically comparable, making the expression understandable to learners familiar with the words.
Etymology
Ecclesiastical province comes from the idea of the church acting like a small government: ecclesiastical means 'of the church' and province means 'an area' under a leader. That's why the phrase means 'an area of the church led by an archbishop'.