Megachurch
/ˈmɛɡəˌtʃɜːrtʃ/noun
A very large Protestant church, especially one with weekly attendance in the thousands.
Did you know?The “mega-” in megachurch comes from Greek megas, a root that also gave English words like megaphone and megaton, turning size itself into a kind of linguistic power.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
μέγας (mégas)
“great, large”
Late Latin
Latin
mega-
“combining form meaning great or large”
Old English
English
cirice
“church; a Christian place of worship”
Middle English
English
chirche / church
“church; place of Christian assembly”
20th Century
English
megachurch
“a very large church congregation or building”