From Greek 'kyriakon' (the Lord's house) — borrowed early into Germanic, while Romance languages took 'ekklesia' instead.
A building used for public Christian worship; the body of Christian believers; a particular Christian organization.
From Old English 'cirice' or 'cyrce,' from Proto-Germanic *kirikō, borrowed from Greek 'kyriakón' (κυριακόν), short for 'kyriakón dōma' (the Lord's house), from 'kýrios' (κύριος, lord, master), from PIE *ḱewH- (to swell, to be strong, to have power). The word entered Germanic languages very early, probably during the initial contact between Germanic peoples and Greek-speaking Christians in the late Roman Empire. Notably, Romance languages use a different word: Latin 'ecclēsia' (from Greek
English 'church,' German 'Kirche,' Dutch 'kerk,' and Scots 'kirk' all come from Greek 'kyriakón' (the Lord's house), while French 'église,' Spanish 'iglesia,' and Italian 'chiesa' come from a completely different Greek word, 'ekklēsía' (assembly). This split reveals two different borrowing routes: Germanic peoples borrowed the Greek word for the building; Romance peoples borrowed the Greek word for the congregation.