Ecumenical
/ˌɛk.jʊˈmɛn.ɪ.kəl/noun
Relating to the whole Christian Church or, more broadly, promoting unity among different groups.
Did you know?Its deepest root is Greek *oikoumenē* (“the inhabited world”), from *oikos* (“house”), the same ancient word-family that later gave us *economy* and *ecology* — literally, the language of the world as a shared dwelling.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weik-
“to dwell, live in a settlement”
Ancient Greek
Greek
oikos
“house, household, home”
Ancient Greek
Greek
oikoumenē
“the inhabited world; the humanly occupied earth”
Late Greek / Early Christian
Greek
oikoumenikos
“universal; relating to the whole inhabited world, especially the Church”
Late Latin
Latin
oecumenicus
“ecumenical; universal, general”
14th Century
English
ecumenical
“universal; relating to the whole Church”