English▸ noun [mass noun] the teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, especially as exercised by bishops or the Pope.
▪ the official and authoritative teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.
– ORIGIN late 16th century (in the alchemical senses ‘master principle of nature’, ‘substance capable of changing the nature of other substances’): Latin, ‘the office of master’, from magister (see magister). The senses relating to the teaching and authority of the Roman Catholic Church date from the mid 19th century.