Definition of "synod" [syn•od]

• A council or an assembly of church officials or churches; an ecclesiastical council. (noun)
• A council or an assembly. (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.

• "The official objective of the synod is to strengthen Christian identity and promote ecumenism in Muslim countries."
• "The purpose of the synod is to reflect on the present and future of the faithful and the populations in the Middle East."
• "This diet is often called a synod, on account of the many decisions arrived at in church matters."