Emily Dickinson Lexicon
Definition for Church (-es)
church (-es), n. [ME < OE circe.] (webplay: call, clergy, day, faith, God, house, Lord, named, ritual, true).
- Ecclesiastical unit (see Revelation 2:17); [hyponym] worshiper; faithful parishioner; [fig.] member of a fold; lamb in a flock (see Acts 20:28); [metaphor] corpus; body of Christ (see Colossians 1:24); [metonymy] minister; priest; pastor; shepherd.
- Holy place; sacred time; [fig.] remembrance; communion; sacramental ordinance; renewal of vows, pledges, promises, or covenants; [hyponym] tryst; reunion; meeting with one's beloved; [metaphor] kiss; embrace; consummation; feast of love.
- Congregation; [hyponym] choir; group of people that sing praises in a particular congregation.
- Chapel; sanctuary; building where christenings and other ordinances are performed.
- Thanksgiving; prayer service; session of worship.
- Phrase. “going to Church”: attending Sunday morning worship services; worshiping as a member of a Christian congregation; [fig.] participating in organized religion.
- Phrase. “for Church”: to mark the time of the worship service; to call people to a Sunday morning meeting in the Congregational Church.
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