Main Entry: sac·ra·ment

Pronunciation: \ˈsa-krə-mənt\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English sacrement, sacrament, from Anglo-French & Late Latin; Anglo-French, from Late Latin sacramentum, from Latin, oath of allegiance, obligation, from sacrare to consecrate

Date: 13th century

1 a : a Christian rite (as baptism or the Eucharist) that is believed to have been ordained by Christ and that is held to be a means of divine grace or to be a sign or symbol of a spiritual reality b : a religious rite or observance comparable to a Christian sacrament
2 capitalized a : communion 2a b : blessed sacrament
3 : something likened to a religious sacrament <saw voting as a sacrament of democracy>