conciliarism
|con-ci-li-ar-ism|
🇺🇸
/kənˈsɪliərɪzəm/
🇬🇧
/kənˈsɪlɪərɪzəm/
council authority over pope
Etymology
'conciliarism' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'concilium' (via Medieval/Church Latin 'conciliar-') where 'con-' meant 'together' and the root related to 'call' (thus 'assembly, council').
'concilium' in Classical Latin developed into Medieval and Ecclesiastical Latin forms such as 'conciliaris'/'concilium' (meaning 'council' or 'pertaining to a council'), passed into later European languages as forms like Old French 'concile' and Middle English 'concile/conciliar', and English eventually formed 'conciliar' and the abstract noun 'conciliarism'.
Initially it referred simply to things 'relating to a council' or 'assembly'; over time it came to denote specifically the doctrine or movement that a council holds supreme authority in church governance (often contrasted with papal supremacy).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a doctrine or movement within Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic Church) asserting that an ecumenical council has supreme authority in the Church and can override or judge the pope.
Conciliarism gained influence during crises such as the 15th-century Western Schism, when rival popes led many to argue that a council should settle the dispute.
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Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/12 23:40