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enciclica

encyclical

noun en-CHEE-klee-kah Rare

Origin: From Late Latin encyclica, from Greek enkyklios, 'circular, general'.

Usage Note

Enciclica is a formal letter issued by the Pope to the Catholic Church on matters of doctrine, morality, or social teaching. Famous examples include Rerum Novarum and Laudato Si'. It is feminine: l'enciclica, le encicliche. Note the irregular plural: encicliche (the -ca ending takes -che in the plural to preserve the hard 'k' sound).

Examples

"Il Papa ha pubblicato una nuova enciclica sull'ambiente."

Natural Translation

The Pope published a new encyclical on the environment.

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