Word: catholic (adjective)

Associations

The word "catholic" means "including a wide variety of things" or "universal." It is often used to describe something broad or all-embracing.

• Example 1: "She has catholic tastes in music." This means she likes many different types of music.
• Example 2: "His catholic interests range from science to art." This shows he is interested in many different subjects.
• Example 3: "The museum's collection is catholic, featuring art from all over the world." This means the collection is very diverse.

Note: "Catholic" with a capital "C" usually refers to the Roman Catholic Church, a specific Christian religion. Here, we talk about the lowercase "catholic," meaning broad or universal.

Substitution

You can use words like "diverse," "broad," "comprehensive," or "eclectic" instead of catholic in many cases.

• "Diverse tastes" means liking many different things, similar to "catholic tastes."
• "Eclectic" also means choosing from many different sources or styles, often in art or music.
• "Comprehensive" means including everything necessary, often used for coverage or scope.

Each word changes the tone a bit: "catholic" emphasizes universality, "eclectic" suggests a mix chosen with care, and "diverse" focuses on variety.

Deconstruction

The word "catholic" comes from the Greek word "katholikos," meaning "universal" or "general."

• Prefix: "catho-" comes from Greek "kata," meaning "according to" or "throughout."
• Root: "holos" means "whole" or "entire."
• Together, "katholikos" means "according to the whole" or "universal."

This is why "catholic" means broad or all-inclusive.

Inquiry

• Can you think of areas in your life where you have "catholic" interests or tastes?
• How would you describe a "catholic" approach to learning or work?
• Why do you think the word "catholic" came to be associated with both broad meaning and a specific religion? How do these meanings connect?