katholick

katholick is an historical or variant English spelling of catholic. The form comes from Latin katholicus via Greek katholikos, meaning universal. In English, "catholic" can be used as an adjective meaning universal or all-embracing, while "Catholic" (capitalized) refers to the Catholic Church and its adherents. The spelling "katholick" appears chiefly in older or quoted texts and is generally considered obsolete in modern usage.

The term has two main domains. In the general sense, kathолick/catholic denotes universality or acceptance of all. In ecclesial use, it denotes the Catholic Church, the largest Christian church, led by the pope and sharing communion with 23 Eastern Catholic Churches that preserve distinct rites while acknowledging the pope's authority. Catholic doctrine holds Scripture and Tradition as guiding authorities, interpreted under the Magisterium.

In contemporary English, "katholick" is rarely used except when quoting historical sources or discussing philology and orthography. Other languages often use a similar root with a different initial letter, e.g., German katholisch, Dutch katholiek, Norwegian katolsk, Swedish katolsk, reflecting the same Greek-Latin origin.