sacramental
adjective, noun
Forms sacramentals
- adjective Used in, or relating to, a sacrament. “The altar boys got in trouble after they were caught sampling the sacramental wine instead of just passing it to the priest before communion.”
- noun (Christianity, chiefly Roman Catholicism) An object (such as holy water or a crucifix) or an action (such as making the sign of the cross) which is regarded as encouraging devotion and thus spiritually aiding the person who uses it.
Etymology
From Old French sacramental, from Ecclesiastical Latin sacrāmentālis.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Of or pertaining to a sacrament or the sacraments; of the nature of a sacrament; sacredly or solemny binding; as, sacramental rites or elements.
- adjective Bound by a sacrament.
- noun That which relates to a sacrament. Bp. Morton.
Etymology [L. sacramentalis: cf. F. sacramental, sacramentel.]
Sources: Wiktionary · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “sacramental”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details