antidisestablishmentarianism

Definition

A political philosophy opposed to the separation of a religious group (church) and a government (state), especially the belief held by those in 19th-century England opposed to separating the Anglican church from the civil government, or the separation of church and state.

Etymology

Etymology tree Ancient Greek ἀντι- (anti-)der. English anti- Proto-Indo-European *dews-? Proto-Indo-European *dus- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwi- Proto-Indo-European *dwóh₁ Proto-Indo-European *dwís Latin dis- Old French des-bor. ▲ Latin dis-bor. Middle English dis- English dis- Old French establissementbor. Middle English stablishment English establishment ▲ English dis- English establish English -ment English disestablishment English -arian English disestablishmentarian Proto-Indo-European *-id- Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō) Proto-Indo-European *-mos Proto-Indo-European *-mós Ancient Greek -μός (-mós) Ancient Greek -ισμός (-ismós)der. English -ism English disestablishmentarianism English antidisestablishmentarianism From anti- + disestablishmentarianism.

Example Sentences

• "Jed Rubenfeld, who actually may not have been recycling a Boerne Court- rejected argument into a law review article,⁴⁵⁰ reasoned that RFRA indeed lacked constitutionality, but because of First Amendment antidisestablishmentarianism, and not the reasons offered by the Court.⁴⁵¹"
• "The establishmentarianism of Hatch's alliance-building strategy undermined by the disestablishmentarianism of Wiglesworth's treachery triggers an antidisestablishmentarianism in Hawk — but the negation of Wiglesworth's 'dis' coupled with the counter-negation of Hawk's 'anti' does not simply generate a synthetic affirmation of Hatch's 'establishmentarianism'. Instead, Hawk's antidisestablishmentarianism, like a cancerous wart on the end of the nose, is perched at the fuzzy border separating ontology from oncology, malignity from malignancy."
• "As we said yesterday, the case for antidisestablishmentarianism has never been more threadbare."

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