a. [see -LESS.]
1. Without a church or church organization.
1641. R. Greville (Ld. Brooke), Disc. Nat. Episc., II. vii. 121. At the first Rising out of Popery, the Church-lesse Church of the Albigenses & Waldenses, (Holy Good men) began an admirable Reformation.
1662. Fuller, Worthies, Lincolne-sh., 164 (D.). A Churchlesse Village.
2. Not attending or belonging to a church.
1834–5. S. R. Maitland, Voluntary Syst. (1837), 240. Deists, Atheists, in a word, every churchless wretch that can be found.
1849. Newland, Lect. Tractar., 108. These two thousand churchless and godless individuals.
1884. R. Milne (title), The Problem of the Churchless and Poor in our large Towns.
3. Not sanctioned or blessed by the church.
1884. Tennyson, Becket, 162. We thought to scare this minion of the King Back from her churchless commerce with the King To the fond arms of her first love, Fitzurse.
