Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

Random Term from the Dictionary:

DEATH INSTINCT

A term for the irrational desire for destruction and death and, when joined with pleasure, is a morbid drive for pain. It partly explains why some people commit suicide. It also helps to explain the nihilistic tendency in certain modern movements that exhibit a positive genius for destroying what may have taken centuries to build in religious or secular society.