Laic

Laic is an English adjective meaning relating to the laity or to secular governance rather than to religious authorities. It may describe policies, institutions, or attitudes that are not under clerical control.

The term derives from Latin laicus, via Old French laïque, and is related to lay, though it is not always a direct synonym. It has historically been used in religious and political discourse to mark the distinction between clergy and non-clergy.

In public life, laic is often used in phrases such as laic state or laic education, referring to secularization and the separation of church and state. The French term laïcité captures the principle of state neutrality in religious matters; English texts may use laicism or secularism in parallel.

In religious contexts, laicization refers to the process of withdrawing a cleric from the clerical state, returning him or her to lay status; the noun laicization is commonly used in canon law and church administration.

Related terms include laity, lay, secular, clerical, and ecclesiastical. The distinction between laic and lay is nuanced, and laic is less common in modern English than lay or secular. Some contexts use laic with a sense of secular governance rather than personal religiosity.