Romanism

English

Etymology

From Roman +‎ -ism, after Romanist. Compare Romish.

Pronunciation

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Noun

Romanism (uncountable)

1. (chiefly derogatory) The tenets of the Church of Rome; the Roman Catholic religion. [from 17th c.]

   Synonyms: Roman Catholicism; see there for others that are pejorative

   • 1790 August 1, Hester Thrale Piozzi, Thraliana:

     Romanism once extinguished, all other Sects will follow, and that the Catholic Religion—falsely so called—for Catholick means universal—is going, none now will venture to deny.

   • 1866, Gilbert Haven, The Pilgrim's Wallet, page 8:

     Then I saw how a spot no larger than this could be crowded with millions of souls, and yet be apparently uninhabited. Romanism increases the degradation of tenantism, and rum completes it.

   • 1967 December 1, Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith‎, 3rd edition, Presbyterian and Reformed Pub. Co., page 71:

     It appears then that Warfield himself really suggests a better way of expressing such differences as obtain between Romanism and Protestantism, or between universalistic and particularistic Protestantism than he has himself employed.

Related terms

• Romanist
• Romaphobia