The word catholic (with lowercase c; derived via Late Latin catholicus, from the Greek adjective (katholikos), meaning "universal") comes from the Greek phrase (katholou), meaning "on the whole", "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole". The word in English can mean either "including a wide variety of things; all-embracing" or "of the Roman Catholic faith" as "relating to the historic doctrine and practice of the Western Church." ("Catholicos", the title used for the head of some churches in  Eastern Christian traditions, is derived from the same linguistic origin.)