congregation en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- (Southern-England) audio
- /ˌkɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃən/ (General-American)
- /ˌkɒŋɡɹɪˈɡeɪʃən/ (Received-Pronunciation)
Etymology
From Middle English congregacioun, from Old French congregacion, from Latin congregātiō, itself from congregō (“to herd into a flock”). Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church. By surface analysis, congregate + -ion.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) The act of congregating or collecting together.
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(countable, uncountable) A gathering of faithful in a temple, church, synagogue, mosque or other place of worship, especially those present at a devotional service or who regularly attend such services, particularly in contrast to the leadership, choir or others.
In Hebrew, bonai shalom means “builders of peace,” and the congregation welcomes both Jews and non-Jews to participate in all aspects of the community.
2025 June 4, Cindy Von Quednow, TuAnh Dam, “Their synagogue taught them to build peace. An antisemitic attack is testing their resilience”, in CNN, archived from the original on 22 Jul 2025:The critically low level of rainfall in the second half of 2020 – approaching 50% year on year for November – led the religious affairs directorate to instruct imams and their congregations to pray for rain last month.
2021 January 13, Bethan McKernan, “Turkey drought: Istanbul could run out of water in 45 days”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2025:
- (countable, uncountable) A Roman Congregation, a main department of the Vatican administration of the Catholic Church.
- (countable, uncountable) A corporate body whose members gather for worship, or the members of such a body.
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(countable, uncountable) Any large gathering of people.
During the wedding ( usually held on a Saturday ) , you and your committee sit on " facing benches ” before the rest of the congregation ( your guests ) . Everyone worships silently until you two feel that it's time to say your vows .
1998, Carley Roney, The Knot's Complete Guide to Weddings in the Real World: The Ultimate Source of Ideas, Advice, and Relief for the Bride and Groom and Those who Love Them, Broadway Books, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 94:
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(countable, uncountable) A flock of birds.
Bald eagles gather in significant numbers along the middle Skagit during the winter to feed on migrating salmon. This congregation of eagles is reported to be the largest wintering group on the contiguous West Coast.
1977, Classification of Portions of the Skagit River and Selected, United States. Forest Service. Pacific Northwest Region, page 12:"Oh! I wasted most of my morning crawling to a murmuration of starlings, which I foolishly mistook for congregation of plover."
1893 September 27, The Bazaar, the Exchange and Mart, London, page 800, column 3:I was excited to ramp up our cave-diving efforts, and to see my first big congregation of penguins.
2019, Jill Heinerth, Into the Planet, Doubleday Canada:A small congregation of plover hove in sight, at first far off toward the bay, yet steadily drawing nearer.
1813, Dr. Frank Linwood Bailey, “Yellowlegs and Nimble Jacks”, in Forest and Stream, volume 95, Forest and Stream Publishing Company:We are then told how the bailiff fired into a congregation of rooks and killed several of them
1851, John Campbell Baron Campbell, The Lives of the Lords Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal of England, volume 6, page 520:There was a congregation of pigeons inside the shack, he realized, pushing their beaks through the wooden lattice at the front.
2008, Frances Hardinge, Gullstruck Island, Amulet Books:Dr. C. Hart Merriam, in his 'Birds of Connecticut,' mentions a congregation of hawks as follows: "On the 25th of September, 1875, I saw near New Haven, a flock of twenty-six Red-tailed Hawks, soaring high and sailing slowly southward. The day was clear and cool, and there was little wind."
1895, The Auk, volume 12, American Ornithologists' Union, page 262:
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(collective, countable, noun, uncountable) A group of alligators or crocodiles.
A congregation of crocodiles will communicate with body language and behavior and are also extremely territorial predators.
2010, Ann Wertz Garvin, On Maggie's Watch, Penguin Publishing Group:This explained what had been a puzzle to the most knowing of the party-that wonderful congregation of crocodiles.
1882 June 1, The Youth's Companion, volume 55:a large congregation of crocodiles lazing by the side of a swamp; with their thick, tough skin, coarse and lumpy and always coated in mud, they were the embodiment of hideousness, these creatures as old as time
2024, Saneh Sangsuk, The Understory, Deep Vellum Publishing:One of Bartram's most famous passages, and the one most often used to exemplify his gift for exaggeration, is his account of a congregation of alligators on the upper reaches of the St. Johns River in Florida during what seems to be a run of fish
2020, Kent A. Vliet, Alligators: The Illustrated Guide to Their Biology, Behavior, and Conservation, Johns Hopkins University Press, page 33:
- (UK, countable, qualifier:Oxford University, uncountable) The main body of university staff, comprising academics, administrative staff, heads of colleges, etc.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| congregations | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
Deriveds
cybercongregation · congregationalism · congregationally · congregational · preach to the congregation · congregationless
Relateds
aggregant · congregate · aggregate · congregator · gregarious · gregariousness · aggregation · congregant
Synonyms
congregation · flock · laity · fold · fold · flock · raft · flock
Translations (113)
sv församling (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ang samnung (large gathering of people) · es congregación (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · he קָהָל (large gathering of people) · eo paroĥanaro (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ar جَمَاعَة (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de Pulk (large gathering of people) · hi जमात (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · bg струпване (act of congregating) · ru конгрега́ция (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · pt congregação (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · pdt Vesaumlunk (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · tr cemaat (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · bg ято (group of eagles) · de Traube (large gathering of people) · ca congregació (act of congregating) · ru скопле́ние (large gathering of people) · da menighed (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · hu gyülekezet (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · id jemaat (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · hi जमात (large gathering of people) · ro organzație fondată religios (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · da menighed (act of congregating) · nl congregatie (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de Gemeinde (corporate body) · es congregación (Roman Congregation) · de Menschenauflauf (large gathering of people) · da forsamling (act of congregating) · mi whakaminenga (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · bg заседание (corporate body) · cmn 會眾 /会众 (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ur جَماعَت (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl kudde (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de Kongregation (Roman Congregation) · bg събрание (corporate body) · pt assembleia (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · fr rassemblement (act of congregating) · id jemaah (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌼𐌰𐌹𐌽𐌸𐍃 (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ru па́ства (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · it raduno (large gathering of people) · nl vergadering (large gathering of people) · fr congrégation (Roman Congregation) · vi bộ (Roman Congregation) · ja 集団 (large gathering of people) · de Schwarm (group of eagles) · unm maehëlan (large gathering of people) · de Gemeindeversammlung (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · sh kongregacija (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ro adunare de fideli (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ja 会衆 (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de Versammeln (act of congregating) · de Ansammlung (unorganised) (large gathering of people) · ia congregation (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de Zusammenführen (act of congregating) · pt assembleia (large gathering of people) · mi ikapahitanga (act of congregating) · de Versammlung (large gathering of people) · sh kongregacija (large gathering of people) · cmn 人群 (large gathering of people) · fr assemblée des fidèles (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · it congregazione (large gathering of people) · it assemblea (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · mi whakaminenga (large gathering of people) · gd coitheanal (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · pl zgromadzenie (large gathering of people) · fi väkijoukko (large gathering of people) · bg конгрегация (Roman Congregation) · pl kongregacja (Roman Congregation) · ro congregație (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · sh kongregacija (Roman Congregation) · hi जमाअत (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl samenscholing (large gathering of people) · bg сбор (large gathering of people) · fi seurakunta (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · got 𐌲𐌰𐌵𐌿𐌼𐌸𐍃 (large gathering of people) · pt congregação (Roman Congregation) · pl zgromadzenie (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ru собра́ние (large gathering of people) · ru схо́дка (large gathering of people) · it congregazione (Roman Congregation) · de Gemeindetreffen (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · de versammelte Gemeinde (corporate body) · hy հավաքույթ (large gathering of people) · el εκκλησίασμα (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl (kerk)gemeente (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · sh jato (group of eagles) · bg събор (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl menigte (large gathering of people) · ca congregació (large gathering of people) · unm xinkwi maehëlan (large gathering of people) · bg стру́пване (large gathering of people) · pl zebranie (large gathering of people) · nrf congrégâtion (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ca congregació (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · es congregación (large gathering of people) · de Schar (group of eagles) · de Gemeinschaft (corporate body) · hi जमाअत (large gathering of people) · fr assemblée (large gathering of people) · pt congregação (large gathering of people) · eo kongregacio (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · he עדה (corporate body) · is mannsöfnuður (large gathering of people) · is söfnuður (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · la congregatio (Roman Congregation) · af gemeente (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl bijeenkomst (large gathering of people) · got 𐌰𐌹𐌺𐌺𐌻𐌴𐍃𐌾𐍉 (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · nl congregatie (large gathering of people) · mi minenga (large gathering of people) · sl kongregacija (religious gathering of people in a place of worship) · ia congregation (large gathering of people)