a member of a Catholic church
"The new priest welcomed every catholic into his parish, regardless of their background or age."
A member of a Catholic church.
"The new priest greeted every catholic visitor at the door before they entered for mass."
In plain English: A catholic is a person who belongs to the Roman Catholic Church.
"The church has been welcoming to every catholic in the region for centuries."
Usage: Do not use "catholic" as a noun to refer to a person; instead, use "Catholic" with a capital C when specifically naming a member of the Roman Catholic Church. The lowercase adjective form describes something that is universal or embracing many interests, never an individual.
Universal; all-encompassing.
"The bishop explained that while the liturgy shared similarities with the Eastern rites, this particular tradition remained distinctly Catholic in its structure and doctrine."
Of the Western Christian church, as differentiated from e.g. the Orthodox church.
In plain English: Catholic means open to everyone and willing to accept many different ideas.
"He has a catholic taste in music, enjoying everything from pop to classical."
Usage: When used in everyday language, catholic describes something that is wide-ranging or universal rather than narrow or limited. Do not use it to refer specifically to the Western Christian church unless you are discussing religious history or theology.
The word "catholic" comes from the Latin catholicus, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek for "universal." It originally described something that applies to all people or encompasses everything whole.