Catholic

(123), a. [Lat. catholicus, Gr. καθολικός, universal, general, from καθόλου, whole, from κατά, down, throughout, and ὅλος, whole; Fr. catholique, Pr. catholic, Sp. católico, It. cattolico.]

1Sense 1. Universal or general; as, the catholic faith.

☞ This epithet is rightly applied to the whole Christian church, although it has been claimed exclusively by the church of Rome, to which it is often limited.

2Sense 2. Not narrow-minded, partial, or bigoted; liberal; as, catholic tastes.

3Sense 3. Pertaining to, or affecting, the Roman Catholics; as, Catholic emancipation.

Catholic epistles, the epistles of the apostles which are addressed to all the faithful, and not to a particular church; being those of James, Peter, Jude, and John.