encyclical
/ɛnˈsɪklɪk(ə)l
/ /ɪnˈsɪklɪk(ə)l/ /ɛnˈsʌɪk(ə)l/ /ɪnˈsʌɪk(ə)l/noun
A papal letter sent to all bishops of the Roman Catholic Church.For the next hundred years, scholars, theologians, and students will be pouring over the papal encyclicals that have come out of the Vatican....
- Still, he relies exclusively on the magisterial expressions found in the new catechism and in papal encyclicals.
- At that time, English Catholic school children studied the papal encyclicals Rerum novarum and Quadragesimo anno.
Origin
Mid 17th century (as an adjective): via late Latin from Greek enkuklios 'circular, general', from en- 'in' + kuklos 'a circle'.