secular

• POS: Adjective, Noun
• HYPHEN: sec=u=lar

CIDE DICTIONARY

secular, a. [OE. secular, seculer. L. saecularis, fr. saeculum a race, generation, age, the times, the world; perhaps akin to E. soul: cf. F. séculier.].

•  Coming or observed once in an age or a century.  [1913 Webster]

  "The secular year was kept but once a century."  [1913 Webster]
•  Pertaining to an age, or the progress of ages, or to a long period of time; accomplished in a long progress of time; as, secular inequality; the secular refrigeration of the globe.  [1913 Webster]
•  Of or pertaining to this present world, or to things not spiritual or holy; relating to temporal as distinguished from eternal interests; not immediately or primarily respecting the soul, but the body; worldly.  [1913 Webster]

  "New foes arise,
  Threatening to bind our souls with secular chains."  [1913 Webster]
•  Not regular; not bound by monastic vows or rules; not confined to a monastery, or subject to the rules of a religious community; as, a secular priest.  [1913 Webster]

  "He tried to enforce a stricter discipline and greater regard for morals, both in the religious orders and the secular clergy."  [1913 Webster]
•  Belonging to the laity; lay; not clerical.  [1913 Webster]

  "I speak of folk in secular estate."  [1913 Webster]

Secular equation (Astron.), the algebraic or numerical expression of the magnitude of the inequalities in a planet's motion that remain after the inequalities of a short period have been allowed for. -- Secular games (Rom. Antiq.), games celebrated, at long but irregular intervals, for three days and nights, with sacrifices, theatrical shows, combats, sports, and the like. -- Secular music, any music or songs not adapted to sacred uses. -- Secular hymn or Secular poem, a hymn or poem composed for the secular games, or sung or rehearsed at those games.

secular, n. 

•  A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by monastic rules.  Burke.  [1913 Webster]
•  A church official whose functions are confined to the vocal department of the choir.  Busby.  [1913 Webster]
•  A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

secular, adj. & n.
--adj.
1 concerned with the affairs of this world; not spiritual or sacred.
2 (of education etc.) not concerned with religion or religious belief.
3 a not ecclesiastical or monastic. b (of clergy) not bound by a religious rule.
4 occurring once in an age or century.
5 lasting for or occurring over an indefinitely long time.
--n. a secular priest.

Idiom

secular variation Astron. variation compensated over a long period of time.

Derivative

secularism n. secularist n. secularity n. secularize v.tr. (also -ise). secularization n. secularly adv.

Etymology

ME (in senses 1-3 f. OF seculer) f. L saecularis f. saeculum generation, age

THESAURUS

secular

Philistine, annual, biannual, biennial, bimonthly, biweekly, bodily, brother, carnal, carnal-minded, catamenial, catechumen, centenary, centennial, centesimal, centigrado, centuple, centuplicate, centurial, church member, churchman, churchwoman, civil, communicant, congregational, corporal, corporeal, daily, decennial, diurnal, down-to-earth, earthly, earthy, fleshly, fortnightly, hardheaded, hebdomadal, hourly, hundredfold, hundredth, hylic, laic, laical, lay, lay brother, lay sister, layman, laywoman, material, materialistic, materiate, matter-of-fact, menstrual, momentary, momently, monthly, mundane, nonclerical, nonecclesiastical, nonministerial, nonordained, nonpastoral, nonreligious, nonsacred, nonspiritual, parishioner, physical, popular, positivistic, practical, practical-minded, pragmatic, profane, quarterly, quotidian, rational, realist, realistic, reasonable, reprobate, sane, scientific, scientistic, secularist, secularistic, semestral, semiannual, semimonthly, semiweekly, semiyearly, sensible, sister, sober-minded, somatic, sound, sound-thinking, state, straight-thinking, substantial, temporal, terrestrial, tertian, triennial, unblessed, unhallowed, unholy, unideal, unidealistic, unregenerate, unromantic, unsacred, unsanctified, unsentimental, unspiritual, weekly, worldly, yearly

ROGET THESAURUS

secular

Five

N five, five, cinque, quint, quincux, six, half-a- dozen, half dozen, seven, eight, nine, three times three, dicker, ten, decade, eleven, twelve, dozen, thirteen, long dozen, baker's dozen, quintuplet, twenty, score, twenty-four, four and twenty, two dozen, twenty-five, five and twenty, quarter of a hundred, forty, two score, fifty, half a hundred, sixty, three score, seventy, three score and ten, eighty, four score, ninety, fourscore and ten, sestiad, hundred, centenary, hecatomb, century, hundredweight, cwt, one hundred and forty-four, gross, thousand, chiliad, millennium, thousand years, grand, myriad, ten thousand, ban, man, ten thousand years, banzai, lac, one hundred thousand, plum, million, thousand million, milliard, billion, trillion, five, quinary, quintuple, fifth, senary, sextuple, sixth, seventh, septuple, octuple, eighth, ninefold, ninth, tenfold, decimal, denary, decuple, tenth, eleventh, duodenary, duodenal, twelfth, in one's 'teens, thirteenth, vicesimal, vigesimal, twentieth, twenty-fourth, vicenary, vicennial, centuple, centuplicate, centennial, centenary, centurial, secular, hundredth, thousandth.

Periodicity

N regularity of recurrence, periodicity, intermittence, beat, oscillation, pulse, pulsation, rhythm, alternation, alternateness, alternativeness, alternity, bout, round, revolution, rotation, turn, say, anniversary, jubilee, centenary, catamenia, courses, menses, menstrual flux, rota, cycle, period, stated time, routine, days of the week, Sunday, Monday, months of the year, January, feast, fast, Christmas, Easter, New Year's day, Allhallows, Allhallowmas, All Saints' Day, All Souls', All Souls' Day, Ash Wednesday, bicentennial, birthday, bissextile, Candlemas, Dewali, groundhog day, Halloween, Hallowmas, Lady day, leap year, Midsummer day, Muharram, woodchuck day, St. Swithin's day, natal day, yearbook, yuletide, punctuality, regularity, steadiness, periodic, periodical, serial, recurrent, cyclical, rhythmical, recurring, intermittent, remittent, alternate, every other, hourly, diurnal, daily, quotidian, tertian, weekly, hebdomadal, hebdomadary, biweekly, fortnightly, bimonthly, catamenial, monthly, menstrual, yearly, annual, biennial, triennial, centennial, secular, paschal, lenten, regular, steady, punctual, regular as clockwork, periodically, at regular intervals, at stated times, at fixed established, at established periods, punctually, de die in diem, from day to day, day by day, by turns, in turn, in rotation, alternately, every other day, off and on, ride and tie, round and round.

Heterodoxy

N heterodoxy, error, false doctrine, heresy, schism, schismaticism, schismaticalness, recusancy, backsliding, apostasy, atheism, bigotry, fanaticism, iconoclasm, hyperorthodoxy, precisianism, bibliolatry, sabbatarianism, puritanism, anthropomorphism, idolatry, superstition, dissent, sectarism, sectarianism, noncomformity, secularism, syncretism, protestantism, Arianism, Adventism, Jansenism, Stundism, Erastianism, Calvinism, quakerism, methodism, anabaptism, Puseyism, tractarianism, ritualism, Origenism, Sabellianism, Socinianism, Deism, Theism, materialism, positivism, latitudinarianism High Church, Low Church, Broad Church, Free Church, ultramontanism, papism, papistry, monkery, papacy, Anglicanism, Catholicism, Romanism, popery, Scarlet Lady, Church of Rome, Greek Church, paganism, heathenism, ethicism, mythology, polytheism, ditheism, tritheism, dualism, heathendom, Judaism, Gentilism, Islamism, Islam, Mohammedanism, Babism, Sufiism, Neoplatonism, Turcism, Brahminism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sabianism, Gnosticism, Hylotheism, Mormonism, Christian Science, heretic, apostate, antichrist, pagan, heathen, painim, paynim, giaour, gentile, pantheist, polytheist, idolator, schismatic, sectary, sectarian, sectarist, seceder, separatist, recusant, dissenter, nonconformist, nonjuror, bigot, fanatic, abdal, iconoclast, latitudinarian, Deist, Theist, Unitarian, positivist, materialist, Homoiousian, Homoousian, limitarian, theosophist, ubiquitarian, skeptic, Protestant, Huguenot, orthodox dissenter, Congregationalist, Independent, Episcopalian, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Calvinist, Methodist, Wesleyan, Ana, Baptist, Mormon, Latter-day Saint, Irvingite, Sandemanian, Glassite, Erastian, Sublapsarian, Supralapsarian, Gentoo, Antinomian, Swedenborgian, Adventist, Bible Christian, Bryanite, Brownian, Christian Scientist, Dunker, Ebionite, Eusebian, Faith Curer, Curist, Familist, Jovinianist, Libadist, Quaker, Restitutionist, Shaker, Stundist, Tunker, ultramontane, Anglican, Oxford School, tractarian, Puseyite, ritualist, Puritan, Catholic, Roman, Catholic, Romanist, papist, Jew, Hebrew, Rabbinist, Rabbist, Sadducee, Babist, Motazilite, Mohammedan, Mussulman, Moslem, Shiah, Sunni, Wahabi, Osmanli, Brahmin, Brahman, Parsee, Sufi, Buddhist, Magi, Gymnosophist, fire worshiper, Sabian, Gnostic, Rosicrucian, heterodox, heretical, unorthodox, unscriptural, uncanonical, antiscriptural, apocryphal, unchristian, antichristian, schismatic, recusant, iconoclastic, sectarian, dissenting, dissident, secular, (lay), pagan, heathen, heathenish, ethnic, ethnical, gentile, paynim, pantheistic, polytheistic, Judaical, Mohammedan, Brahminical, Buddhist, Romish, Protestant, bigoted superstitious, fanatical, idolatrous, visionary, slave to no sect, superstitione tollenda religio non tollitur.

Laity

N laity, flock, fold, congregation, assembly, brethren, people, society, temporality, secularization, layman, civilian, parishioner, catechumen, secularist, secular, lay, laical, civil, temporal, profane.