What does "temporal" mean?
Temporal: Of or pertaining to time, that is, to the present life, or this world; secular, as distinguished from sacred or eternal. The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. iv.
Additional senses
- 2.Is this an hour for temporal affairs Shak.
- 3.Civil or political, as distinguished from ecclesiastical; as, temporal power; temporal courts. Lords temporal. See under Lord, n. -- Temporal augment. See the Note under Augment, n.
- 4.Anything temporal or secular; a temporality; -- used chiefly in the plural. Dryden. He assigns supremacy to the pope in spirituals, and to the emperor or temporals. Lowell.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00