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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

excommunicate en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

  • (General-American) audio
  • (US) audio
  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ (UK)
  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkeɪt/ (US)

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“excommunicate”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix). By surface analysis, ex- + communicate.

Meanings

  1. (transitive) To officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community.
    • The Vatican has excommunicated a rebel group of ultra-conservative Catholics who defied Pope Leo by ordaining bishops without his consent, creating a schism in the Roman Catholic church. […] “The Vatican hopes that by being harsh on the bishops, the priests and faithful, maybe some of them will repent and turn back to mother church. Because it’s not nice to be excommunicated.” 2026 July 2, Angela Giuffrida, “Vatican excommunicates all members of ultra-conservative rebel group SSPX”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
    • “Perhaps it is because I have been excommunicated. It’s absurd, but I feel like the Jackdaw of Rheims.” ¶ She winced and bowed her head. Each time that he spoke flippantly of the Church he caused her pain. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXXVII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC, page 294:
  2. (figuratively, historical, transitive) To exclude from any other group; to banish.
    • Although our Macs served us well, in those early, dark years Macintosh users were effectively excommunicated by the computer establishment. 1987, InfoWorld, volume 9, number 37, page 46:
    • Samois includes celebate ^([sic]), heterosexual and bisexual women as well as lesbians, and I feel very strongly that this is the wisest choice. Our community is so fragile that we can't afford to fragment it by excommunicating non-lesbian women. 1982 December 18, Pat Califa, “Open Policy”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 22, page 5:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
excommunicates Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
excommunicating Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
excommunicated Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
excommunicated Tense=Past lexicographic

Deriveds

excommunicative · unexcommunicated

Relateds

excommunication

Synonyms

takfir · disfellowship

Translations (51)

nb lyse i bann (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · el αφορίζω (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · it scomunicare (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nn stengje ute frå den katolske kyrkja (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru выгоня́ть (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · fr excommunier (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · la excommunicare (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · es excomulgar (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · pl wykląć (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ca excomunicar (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nb bannlyse (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · pl potępiać (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · da ekskommunikere (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · fi erottaa kirkosta (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · cy esgymuno (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · cy diaelodi (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ang āmǣnsumian (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nn bannlyse (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · fro escumengier (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nn bannlysa (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · eo ekskomuniki (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · mk изопшти (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · sh ekskomunicírati (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ja 破門 (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · fi julistaa kirkonkiroukseen (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru вы́гнать (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · pl ekskomunikować (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · de exkommunizieren (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · th บัพพาชนียกรรม (to exclude from any other group; to banish) · nn lyse i bann (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru отлучи́ть (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · mk екскомуницира (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru отлуча́ть (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru изгоня́ть (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nb ekskommunisere (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · bg отлъчвам от църквата (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · sh izòpćiti (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · pl potępić (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nb utelukke fra den katolske kirke (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · fr bannir (to exclude from any other group; to banish) · pt excomungar (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · de bannen (to exclude from any other group; to banish) · th บัพพาชนียกรรม (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ar حَرَمَ (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · nn ekskommunisere (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · hu kiközösít (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · de verbannen (to exclude from any other group; to banish) · hu kiközösít (to exclude from any other group; to banish) · hy բանադրել (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · ru изгна́ть (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community) · pl wyklinać (to officially exclude someone from membership of a church or religious community)

excommunicate en · ADJ · etymology 2

Pronunciation

  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkət/ (US)
  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkət/ (UK)
  • (US) audio
  • (General-American) audio

Etymology

From Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin excommunicātus, perfect passive participle of excommunicō (“put out of the community”). See -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. Displaced native Old English āmǣnsumian.

Meanings

  1. (archaic, not-comparable) Excommunicated.
    • Thou ſhalt ſtand curſt, and excommunicate[…] c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], page 9, column 2:
    • […]the iewes had conſpyred allredy that yff eny man did confeſſe that he was Chriſt / he ſhulde be excommunicat out of the Sinagoge. 1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, John ix:[22], folio cxxxiiij, verso:

excommunicate en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjunəkət/ (US)
  • /ˌɛkskəˈmjuːnɪkət/ (UK)
  • (US) audio
  • (General-American) audio

Etymology

From a substantivation of the above adjective. See -ate (noun-forming suffix) for more.

Meanings

  1. An excommunicated person.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
excommunicates Number=Plur lexicographic

Synonyms

excommunicant · excommunicatee