autocephalous
adjective
au·to·ceph·a·lous
| \ ˌȯ-tō-ˈse-f(ə-)ləs
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Definition of autocephalous
: independent of external and especially patriarchal authority
—used especially of Eastern national churches
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Other Words from autocephalous
autocephaly
\ -fə-lē
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noun
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noun
Examples of autocephalous in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The idea of an autocephalous, or independent, Ukrainian church has long been a dream of Ukrainian nationalists. — Fred Weir, The Christian Science Monitor, "Tangle of church and state roils Ukraine’s Orthodox parishes," 17 Apr. 2019 The decision marked a step toward establishing an ecclesiastically independent – or autocephalous – church in Ukraine. — Vladimir Isachenkov, The Seattle Times, "Russian Orthodox Church breaks ties with Orthodoxy’s leader," 15 Oct. 2018 The move comes as Ukraine strives to create an autocephalous church, independent of Moscow, in an attempt to cut ties with Russia as much as possible. — Thomas Grove, WSJ, "Ukraine Threatens to Escalate Russia Standoff After Ship Detentions," 30 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'autocephalous.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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