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Added 9 October 2026

congregation

/ˌkɒŋɡɹɪˈɡeɪʃən/ noun

In Latin: congregatio Wiktionary

noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about congregation at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A group of people who adhere to a common faith and habitually attend a given church.
An assemblage of people or animals or things collected together.
a congregation of children pleaded for his autograph
The act of congregating.

Origin

From Middle English congregacioun, from Old French congregacion, from Latin congregātiō, itself from congregō (“to herd into a flock”). Adopted (1520s) by the English Bible translator William Tyndale, to render the Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía, “those called together, (popular) meeting”) (hence Latin ecclēsia) in his New Testament, and preferred by 16th century Reformers instead of church. By surface analysis, congregate + -ion.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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