eclesiástico

Eclesiástico is an adjective used in Spanish and Portuguese to refer to things related to the Christian Church, its clergy, or church organization. In everyday language, it is more commonly used in formal or scholarly contexts, while terms like clérigo or sacerdote are often preferred for referring to individual members of the clergy. When used as a noun, it can denote a member of the clergy, especially in more traditional or canonical texts.

The word derives from Latin ecclesiasticus, itself from Greek ekklesiastikos, meaning belonging to the ekklesia or assembly. This lineage ties the term to church law, administration, liturgy, and religious institutions. In both languages, it encompasses a broad range of concepts from ecclesiastical law (derecho/lei eclesiástico) and ecclesiastical hierarchy (jerarquía/eclesiástica) to church art and architecture (arte/eclesiástico).

In Catholic canonical usage, distinctions are sometimes made between secular and regular eclesiásticos, referring to clergy who are lay-oriented or those who belong to religious orders. The adjective also appears in academic discourse, as in ecclesiastical history (historia eclesiástica) or ecclesiastical music, architecture, and terminology.

In contemporary usage, eclesiástico remains a formal descriptor and is widely understood in Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking regions. Its sense is closely aligned with the English ecclesiastical, though regional preferences for vocabulary and noun usage can vary.