# When did the word Church mean house of worship? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 1, 2008, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883 "2008-07-01T11:19:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/1 "2008-07-01T11:19:56Z")
I am wondering when the first usage of the word Church became the replacement for Temple,synagogue, etc. as a place of worship. I know in the New Testament it is used and that was at least in the year 350. What language did it come from? Monavis ---
**Author:** ![Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/2 "2008-07-01T11:40:40Z")
[QUOTE=monavis] I am wondering when the first usage of the word Church became the replacement for Temple,synagogue, etc. as a place of worship. I know in the New Testament it is used and that was at least in the year 350. What language did it come from? [/QUOTE] The New Testament was written in Greek. It wasn’t translated into English until the 15th century. “Church” derives from the Greek word “kyriakon”. The Online Etymology Dictionary says: kyriakon (adj.) “of the Lord” was used of houses of Christian worship since c.300, especially in the East, though it was less common in this sense than ekklesia or basilike. An example of the direct Gk.-to-Gmc. progress of many Christian words, via the Goths; it was probably used by W.Gmc. people in their pre-Christian period. Also picked up by Slavic, via Gmc. (cf. O.Slav. criky, Rus. cerkov). Romance and Celtic languages use variants of L. ecclesia. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/3 "2008-07-01T11:47:25Z")
“kyriakon” produced the word “kirk”, still used in Scotland. By some etymologican legerdemain, the “ks” in “kirk” got softened to the “chs” in the Englisdh “church” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/4 "2008-07-01T12:17:47Z")
I believe the OP may be asking when the transition of meaning occured - when it started meaning _the building in which the faithful gather for worship_, as opposed to _the corporate body of the faithful_ (which is the meaning of the word when it appears in the New Testament). ETA: noted this is touched upon by the dictionary reference provided by **Alive At Both Ends**. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2008, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/5 "2008-07-01T15:48:16Z")
[QUOTE=CalMeacham] “kyriakon” produced the word “kirk”, still used in Scotland. By some etymologican legerdemain, the “ks” in “kirk” got softened to the “chs” in the Englisdh “church” [/QUOTE] Sorry, but English “church” does not derive from Scots “kirk”. They both come to us through the Old English “circe” or “cirice”. ---
**Author:** ![monavis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e0b2c6/32.png) [@monavis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monavis)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/6 "2008-07-02T11:06:52Z")
Thanks for your replies,Mangetout is close to what I meant. Monavis ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2008, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-the-word-church-mean-house-of-worship/454883/7 "2008-07-02T22:44:08Z")
The word still meant Christians(collectively) as late at ca. 750 in Cynewulf, but appeared before ca. 1200 in Layamon’s _Chronicle of Britain_ as a place of worship. At least, according to my reading of my Chamber’s _Dictionary of Etymology_. Which is a pretty good source.