cathedral

cathedral — noun

1. a very large Christian place of worship, usually built of stone, where a bishop

1.nounA2
Definition

a very large Christian place of worship, usually built of stone, where a bishop has his or her formal chair of authority; it is the most important church in its region

Example

Tourists lined up outside St. Paul's Cathedral before it opened for morning prayers.

proper name: [Saint's Name] Cathedral

The cathedral's tall stone towers could be seen from every street in the old city.

possessive: cathedral's + architectural feature

Common collocations
  • visit a cathedral
  • the cathedral of + [city]
  • cathedral city
  • cathedral ceiling
  • built a cathedral
  • medieval cathedral
  • gothic cathedral
Synonyms
  • minster

    historically refers to a large church or cathedral; now mostly found in British proper names (e.g. York Minster)

  • basilica

    a large church given special ceremonial rights by the Pope, often cathedral-sized but not necessarily a bishop's seat

  • chapel

    a small church or a room for worship within a larger building; much smaller and without a bishop

Antonyms
  • chapel

    a small place of worship, often part of a larger institution

Grammar Patterns

the + cathedral (of + place)

[name] Cathedral (with capital C)

Usage Note

A cathedral is always a church, but not every large church is a cathedral — only a church that contains the official seat (cathedra) of a bishop can be called a cathedral. Capitalise the word when it is part of a proper name (e.g. Westminster Abbey is not a cathedral; St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York is).

Common Mistakes

We went to the cathedral church on Sunday.
We went to the cathedral on Sunday.
The word 'church' is not needed after 'cathedral'.
Every large church is called a cathedral.
Only a church that has a bishop's seat is called a cathedral.
Size alone does not make a church a cathedral.

cathedral — adjective

Word family

  • cathedra
    nounC2
  • ex cathedra
    adverbC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A cathedral is the main church of a diocese, distinguished by being the official seat of a bishop. A church is the general term for any Christian building used for worship — most churches are not cathedrals. A chapel is smaller and often part of a larger institution (a school, hospital, or airport), without a resident congregation. A basilica is a large church with special ceremonial privileges granted by the Pope; some basilicas are also cathedrals, but not all. A minster is an old English term for a large church or monastery church, now surviving mostly in proper names like York Minster. In practice: if you want to visit the bishop's main church, say 'cathedral'; if you just want any place to pray, 'church' or 'chapel' works.

cathedral ↗church ↗chapel ↗basilicaminster

Common collocations

Nouns

  • cathedral city
  • cathedral town
  • cathedral spire
  • cathedral ceiling
  • cathedral square

Phrases

  • the cathedral of + [city name]

Prepositions

  • in a/the cathedral
  • at a/the cathedral
  • of a/the cathedral

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word cathedral comes from the Latin cathedra, meaning 'chair' or 'seat'. In the early Christian church, a cathedra was the official chair of a bishop, placed in the main church of his district. Over time, the church itself became known as a cathedral (short for ecclesia cathedralis, 'the church of the bishop's chair'). The word entered English through Old French cathédrale in the 13th century.