Catholic (term) Catholic (term) The word catholic (with lowercase "c"; derived via Late Latin "catholicus", from the Greek adjective ("katholikos"), meaning "universal") comes from the Greek phrase ("katholou"), meaning "on the whole", "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole". The term Catholic (usually written with uppercase "C" in English) was first used to describe the Christian Church in the early 2nd century to emphasize its universal scope. In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. The word in English can mean either "of
English words of Greek origin πρεσβύτερος ("presbýteros" 'elder'), and "church" < Old English "cirice", "circe" < probably κυριακή [οἰκία] ("kȳriakḗ [oikía]" 'lord's [house]'). In some cases, the orthography of these words was later changed to reflect the Greek – and Latin – spelling: "e.g.", "quire" was respelled as "choir" in the 17th century. Sometimes this was done incorrectly: "ache" is from a Germanic root; the spelling "ache" reflects Samuel Johnson's incorrect etymology from Greek ἄχος. Many more words were borrowed by scholars writing in Medieval and Renaissance Latin. Some words were borrowed in essentially their original meaning, often transmitted through classical Latin: "topic", "type", "physics",