catechism

English

Alternative forms

• categise (eye dialect, archaic, rare)

Etymology

From Late Latin catechismus, from Ancient Greek *κατηχισμός (*katēkhismós), from κατηχίζω (katēkhízō, “to catechize”), a later extended form of κατηχέω (katēkhéō, “to catechize, instruct, teach by word of mouth”), from κατά (katá, “down”) + ἠχέω (ēkhéō, “to sound, resound”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkætɪˌkɪzəm/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

catechism (plural catechisms)

1. A book, in question and answer form, summarizing the basic principles of Christianity.
2. A basic manual in some subject.
3. A set of questions designed to determine knowledge.
   • 1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London: Henry Colburn, […], published 1842, →OCLC, page 43:

     ...the walls were covered with paper, whose original colour and pattern had long since merged in a dingy brown; over this were hung up some unframed drawings, and some shelves on which were ranged all the old school books, grammars, Pinnock's catechisms, and one or two French novels that had belonged to a former governess.

   • 1925, Countee Cullen, Yet Do I Marvel‎^[1]:

     Inscrutable His ways are, and immune
     To catechism by a mind too strewn
     With petty cares to slightly understand
     What awful brain compels His awful hand.

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with cataclysm.

Related terms

• catechesis
• catechist
• catechistic
• catechize
• catechumen

 

Translations

book summarizing the principles of Christianity

• Asturian: catecismu m
• Belarusian: катэхі́зіс (katexízis)
• Catalan: catecisme m
• Chichewa: katekisima
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 教義問答／教义问答 (jiàoyì wèndá)

• Czech: katechismus m, katechizmus m
• Danish: katekismus n
• Dutch: catechismus (nl) m
• Esperanto: katekismo
• Finnish: katekismus (fi)
• French: catéchisme (fr) m
• Galician: catecismo (gl) m
• German: Katechismus (de) m
• Greek: κατήχηση (el) f (katíchisi)
• Hungarian: katekizmus (hu)
• Indonesian: katekismus (id)
• Irish: teagasc Críostaí m
• Italian: catechismo (it) m
• Japanese: カテキズム (katekizumu), 公教要理 (こうきょうようり, kōkyō yōri)
• Latvian: katehisms m, katķisms m
• Macedonian: катихи́зис m (katihízis)
• Maori: katikīhama
• Norman: caticème m (Jersey)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: katekisme m or f

  Nynorsk: katekisme f

• Polish: katechizm (pl) m
• Portuguese: catecismo (pt) m
• Romanian: catehism (ro) n
• Russian: катехи́зис (ru) m (katexízis)
• Scottish Gaelic: leabhar-cheist m
• Spanish: catecismo (es) m
• Swahili: katekisimu (sw)
• Swedish: katekes (sv) c
• Ukrainian: катехі́зис m (katexízys)

set of questions

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 問答集／问答集 (wèndájí)

• Greek: κατήχηση (el) f (katíchisi)

Further reading

• “catechism”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “catechism”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.

Anagrams

• schematic

Romanian

Noun

catechism n (plural catechisme)

1. Obsolete form of catehism.

Declension

Declension of catechism

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) catechism	catechismul	(niște) catechisme	catechismele
genitive/dative	(unui) catechism	catechismului	(unor) catechisme	catechismelor
vocative	catechismule		catechismelor

References

• catechism in Academia Română, Micul dicționar academic, ediția a II-a, Bucharest: Univers Enciclopedic, 2010. →ISBN