Immaculate Conception

English

Proper noun

the Immaculate Conception

1. (Catholicism) The doctrine, in the Roman Catholic Church, that the Virgin Mary was conceived biologically but free from original sin.
2. (Roman Catholicism) December 8th (The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary).
3. (proscribed) The conception or incarnation of Jesus as viewed by those who believe that he was conceived without sin.
4. (Roman Catholicism) A title of Mary, in particular reference to her unique status with regard to the aforementioned doctrine.

Usage notes

• Usage referring to the conception of Jesus (by Mary and the Holy Spirit) rather than that of Mary (by her human parents) is based on ignorance or misunderstanding of the original term and of the doctrine it refers to, but it is nonetheless relatively widespread.

Related terms

• immaculism, immaculist
• maculism, maculist

Translations

doctrine

• Arabic: الحَمْل بِلَا دَنَس m (al-ḥaml bilā danas)
• Catalan: immaculada concepció f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 無沾成胎 / 无沾成胎 (wúzhānchéngtāi), 聖母無原罪 / 圣母无原罪 (Shèngmǔwúyuánzuì)

• Czech: neposkvrněné početí n
• Danish: ubesmittede undfangelse c
• Dutch: onbevlekte ontvangenis f
• Finnish: perisynnitön sikiäminen
• French: immaculée conception f
• German: unbefleckte Empfängnis f
• Greek: άμωμος σύλληψη f (ámomos sýllipsi)
• Hungarian: szeplőtelen fogantatás
• Irish: Giniúint Mhuire gan Smál f
• Italian: immacolata concezione f
• Latvian: šķīstā ieņemšana f
• Polish: Niepokalane Poczęcie (pl) n
• Portuguese: imaculada conceição f
• Romanian: imaculata concepție
• Russian: непоро́чное зача́тие n (neporóčnoje začátije)
• Spanish: inmaculada concepción f
• Tagalog: Inmaculada Concepcion, Kalinis-linisang Paglilihi, Paglilihing Inmakulada, Lihing Busilak

feast

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: ^{(please verify)} 聖母無染原罪瞻禮 / 圣母无染原罪瞻礼 (shèngmǔ wú rǎn yuánzuì zhānlǐ) , ^{(please verify)} 聖母無原罪始胎節 / 圣母无原罪始胎节 (shèngmǔ wú yuánzuì shǐtāi jié) , ^{(please verify)} 聖母無原罪日 / 圣母无原罪日 (shèngmǔ wú yuánzuì rì)

• Dutch: Onbevlekte Ontvangenis f
• Finnish: perisynnittömän sikiämisen päivä
• Italian: Immacolata Concezione f
• Polish: Niepokalane Poczęcie (pl) n
• Tagalog: Kalinis-linisang Paglilihi

Noun

Immaculate Conception (uncountable)

1. (informal, proscribed) Any virgin birth or an event likened to one.

   I didn't think the cat had gotten out, but either she did or those kittens are a case of immaculate conception.

Further reading

• Immaculate Conception on Wikipedia.Wikipedia