Seglar

Seglar is a term used in several Iberian Romance languages to denote lay or secular status, as opposed to clerical or religious. In Spanish, seglar can function as an adjective meaning secular and, less commonly, as a noun referring to a layperson, particularly in ecclesiastical contexts where the laity are contrasted with ordained clergy. In Catalan and Galician, seglar carries a similar meaning and appears in religious discourse to describe non-monastic, non-ordained members of church life. The word derives from the Latin saecularis, meaning worldly or of the age, and reached Romance languages with that sense of secular or lay.

In ecclesiastical usage, the contrast is often drawn between secular clergy and regular (or clerical) orders. Secular clergy are ordained ministers who serve in dioceses and parishes but do not belong to a religious order, whereas regular clergy typically belong to a religious community with vows. The term seglar can also label the laity—those who are Christians without sacerdotal vows—who participate in church life and activities without ordination.

Outside religious contexts, seglar can simply mean secular or lay in general, distinguishing non-religious or non-official aspects from ceremonial or religious ones. The exact usage and form vary by language and region, and seglar is sometimes more common in formal or historical texts than in everyday contemporary usage, where equivalents like laico are often used.