ˈyünēə̇t, -ēˌat also -ēˌāt noun
or uni·at -ēˌat, -ēə̇t
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
Etymology: Russian uniyat, from Polish uniat, from unja union (of the Greek and Roman Catholic churches), from Late Latin unio — more at union
: a Christian of an Eastern rite not belonging to the Latin patriarchate but in union with and submitting to the authority of the Roman papacy : one who belongs to an ecclesiastical body that accepts Roman Catholic doctrines in matters of faith but utilizes different forms of liturgy and discipline and is directly governed by a patriarch of its own