Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "simony" [sim•o•ny]

  • The buying or selling of ecclesiastical pardons, offices, or emoluments. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "simony" in a sentence
  • "Divine laws the term simony is applicable only to the exchange of supernatural treasures for temporal advantages, its meaning has been further extended through ecclesiastical legislation."
  • "The term simony comes from a sorcerer named Simon Magus, who tried to bribe the Apostles into selling him their power (Acts 8: 18-20)."
  • "(Acts 8: 9-24) The memory of his peculiar guilt has been perpetuated in the word simony, as applied to all traffic in spiritual offices."