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encyclical

noun

  1. circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area
L320119 on Wikidata ↗

adjective

No English definition recorded for this entry.

L336447 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ɛnˈsɪklɪkəl/

adj

Etymology: From Late Latin encyclicus + -al, from Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος (enkúklios, “circular, general”), from ἐν- (en-) + κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”).

  1. Intended for general circulation.

noun

Etymology: From Late Latin encyclicus + -al, from Ancient Greek ἐγκύκλιος (enkúklios, “circular, general”), from ἐν- (en-) + κύκλος (kúklos, “circle”).

  1. A papal letter, intended for general circulation in the Catholic Church.

    In his encyclical – the first major text on safeguarding humankind of his papacy – he also apologised for the Catholic church’s long delay in condemning slavery, describing it as “a wound in Christian memory”, and spoke of the “new forms of slavery” due to the digital economy.