Sent to many persons or places; intended for many, or for a whole order of men; general; circular; as, an encyclical letter of a council, of a bishop, or the pope.
An encyclical letter, esp. one from a pope.
The circle of arts and sciences; a comprehensive summary of knowledge, or of a branch of knowledge; esp., a work in which the various branches of science or art are discussed separately, and usually in alphabetical order; a cyclopedia.
Alt. of Encyclopaedia
Encyclopedic.
Embracing the whole circle of learning, or a wide range of subjects.
Alt. of Encyclopedical
Pertaining to, or of the nature of, an encyclopedia; embracing a wide range of subjects.
The art of writing or compiling encyclopedias; also, possession of the whole range of knowledge; encyclopedic learning.
The compiler of an encyclopedia, or one who assists in such compilation; also, one whose knowledge embraces the whole range of the sciences.