[syn: laic, lay, secular]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Secular \Sec"u*lar\, a. [OE. secular, seculer. L. saecularis,
fr. saeculum a race, generation, age, the times, the world;
perhaps akin to E. soul: cf. F. s['e]culier.]
1. Coming or observed once in an age or a century.
[1913 Webster]
The secular year was kept but once a century.
--Addison.
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2. 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.
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3. 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.
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New foes arise,
Threatening to bind our souls with secular chains.
--Milton.
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4. (Eccl.) 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.
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He tried to enforce a stricter discipline and
greater regard for morals, both in the religious
orders and the secular clergy. --Prescott.
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5. Belonging to the laity; lay; not clerical.
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I speak of folk in secular estate. --Chaucer.
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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.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Secular \Sec"u*lar\, n.
1. (Eccl.) A secular ecclesiastic, or one not bound by
monastic rules. --Burke.
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2. (Eccl.) A church official whose functions are confined to
the vocal department of the choir. --Busby.
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3. A layman, as distinguished from a clergyman.
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
secular
adj 1: of or relating to the doctrine that rejects religion and
religious considerations
2: characteristic of or devoted to the temporal world as opposed
to the spiritual world; "worldly goods and advancement";
"temporal possessions of the church" [syn: worldly,
secular, temporal] [ant: unworldly]
3: not concerned with or devoted to religion; "sacred and
profane music"; "secular drama"; "secular architecture",
"children being brought up in an entirely profane
environment" [syn: profane, secular] [ant: sacred]
4: of or relating to clergy not bound by monastic vows; "the
secular clergy" [ant: religious]
5: characteristic of those who are not members of the clergy;
"set his collar in laic rather than clerical position"; "the
lay ministry" [syn: laic, lay, secular]
n 1: someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person
[syn: layman, layperson, secular] [ant: clergyman,
man of the cloth, reverend]
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
117 Moby Thesaurus words for "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