High church
adj, noun
adj, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A tradition within the Anglican church with an elevated view of the priesthood, episcopacy, and sacraments, practising a formal style of liturgy and emphasising continuity with Catholicism. uncountable
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of high church. alt-of, uncountable
- 3 a group in the Anglican Church that emphasizes the Catholic tradition (especially in sacraments and rituals and obedience to church authority) wordnet
- 4 Any similar Christian tradition. broadly, uncountable
Adjective
- 1 Characteristic of or pertaining to such a tradition.
- 2 Alternative letter-case form of high church. alt-of
Etymology
Back-formation from High Churchman, originally denoting an opponent of religious toleration with high meaning “extreme”; see churchman (“supporter of the established church”). Compare High Tory.