Definition of congregation
- n. - The act of congregating, or bringing together, or of
collecting into one aggregate or mass.
- n. - A collection or mass of separate things.
- n. - An assembly of persons; a gathering; esp. an assembly
of persons met for the worship of God, and for religious instruction; a
body of people who habitually so meet.
- n. - The whole body of the Jewish people; -- called also
Congregation of the Lord.
- n. - A body of cardinals or other ecclesiastics to whom as
intrusted some department of the church business; as, the Congregation
of the Propaganda, which has charge of the missions of the Roman
Catholic Church.
- n. - A company of religious persons forming a subdivision
of a monastic order.
- n. - The assemblage of Masters and Doctors at Oxford or
Cambrige University, mainly for the granting of degrees.
- n. - the name assumed by the Protestant party under John
Knox. The leaders called themselves (1557) Lords of the Congregation.