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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