excommunicate
eks-kuh-MYOO-nih-kayt
/ˌeks.kəˈmjuː.nɪ.keɪt/
To officially exclude someone from participation in the sacraments and services of a religious community.
Carries a heavy, formal religious or spiritual weight, representing the ultimate institutional punishment of cutting someone off from their spiritual community.
The story behind the word. Excommunicate comes from the Medieval Latin 'excommunicare', which combines 'ex-' (out of) and 'communis' (common, shared). In medieval Europe, being excommunicated was a terrifying prospect, as it meant not only spiritual damnation but also the loss of all legal rights and protection under civil law.
Word relationships
- expel: Expel is a general term for forcing someone out of any group, while excommunicate is specifically religious and spiritual.
- banish: Banish is physical expulsion from a territory, while excommunicate is spiritual expulsion from a community of faith.
- admit: To admit is to allow entry, whereas excommunicate is to formally cast out of the spiritual body.
- ordain: To ordain is to officially consecrate someone as a priest or minister, bringing them into the inner circle of the church.
Commonly confused with
- excoriate: Excoriate means to censure or criticize someone severely, while excommunicate is the actual act of expelling them from a church.
Word family
- excommunication (noun): The action of officially excluding someone from participation in the sacraments of the church.
- excommunicated (adjective): Excluded from the sacraments of a religious community.
Collocations
- excommunicate from the church
- threaten to excommunicate
- formally excommunicated
Example sentences
- "In 1521, Pope Leo X issued a papal bull to excommunicate Martin Luther, declaring him a heretic." A historical text about the Protestant Reformation.
- "The elders of the church threatened to excommunicate anyone who openly violated the community's moral code." A description of strict community rules.
Memory hook
Think of 'ex-communication'—you are no longer allowed to communicate or commune with the church community. No communication with the church.
When not to use
Do not use for casual social exclusion or minor corporate dismissals; it must involve a formal religious or highly structured community.
Fun facts
- In the Middle Ages, there was a dramatic ceremony for excommunication called 'bell, book, and candle,' where a bell was rung, a holy book was closed, and a candle was extinguished to symbolize the sinner's soul being snuffed out.
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