| sacrament (def. 2). |
[sak-ruh-muh
nt] 
| 1. | Ecclesiastical. a visible sign of an inward grace, esp. 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. |
| 2. | (often initial capital letter) Also called Holy Sacrament. the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. |
| 3. | the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, esp. the bread. |
| 4. | something regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance. |
| 5. | a sign, token, or symbol. |
| 6. | an oath; solemn pledge. |
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.