sacrament
Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, especially one of the solemn Christian rites considered to have been instituted by Jesus Christ to symbolize or confer grace: the sacraments of the Protestant churches are baptism and the Lord's Supper; the sacraments of the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox churches are baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist, matrimony, penance, holy orders, and extreme unction.
(often initial capital letter)Also called Holy Sacrament. the Eucharist or Lord's Supper.
the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, especially the bread.
something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.
a sign, token, or symbol.
an oath; solemn pledge.
Origin of sacrament
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use sacrament in a sentence
Seventy marble altars, among them an altar of the Holy sacrament which had been forty years in building, were destroyed.
Belgium | George W. T. (George William Thomson) OmondDay by day in the camp Mass was celebrated, and the Holy sacrament given to all who asked and came.
A Heroine of France | Evelyn Everett-GreenRarely, if ever, has there been a more ghastly profanation of the Holy sacrament of Regeneration!
South American Fights and Fighters | Cyrus Townsend BradyTheir evening service, when they have any, is the Benediction, or exposition of the Holy sacrament.
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847 | T. W. (Thomas William) AlliesWe had the privilege of saying our English office in their chapel, where the single lamp marks the presence of the Holy sacrament.
Journal in France in 1845 and 1848 with Letters from Italy in 1847 | T. W. (Thomas William) Allies
British Dictionary definitions for sacrament
/ (ˈsækrəmənt) /
an outward sign combined with a prescribed form of words and regarded as conferring some specific grace upon those who receive it. The Protestant sacraments are baptism and the Lord's Supper. In the Roman Catholic and Eastern Churches they are baptism, penance, confirmation, the Eucharist, holy orders, matrimony, and the anointing of the sick (formerly extreme unction)
(often capital) the Eucharist
the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp the bread
something regarded as possessing a sacred or mysterious significance
a symbol; pledge
Origin of sacrament
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for sacrament
A religious ceremony or rite. Most Christian churches reserve the term for those rites that Jesus himself instituted, but there are disagreements between them on which rites those are. The Lutheran Church, for example, maintains that baptism and Communion are the only sacraments, whereas in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, there are five more: confirmation; confession; anointing of the sick; the ordination of clergy; and the marriage of Christians.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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