altar rail

noun

Definition of altar rail

: a railing in front of an altar separating the chancel from the body of the church

Examples of altar rail in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Her late father, Frederick Harrison of Waterbury, was mentioned during the Mass. His picture and medals were displayed behind the altar rail as were photographs and other items about Father Conway. — Bill Leukhardt, Courant Community, "No Medal Possible For Waterbury's World War II Hero Priest," 9 Apr. 2018 Attendees kneel at an altar rail when receiving communion. — Jonathan M. Pitts, baltimoresun.com, "At St. Alphonsus Ligouri in Baltimore, believers find new inspiration in old Latin Mass," 14 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altar rail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about altar rail

Dictionary Entries near altar rail

altar of repose

Statistics for altar rail

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for altar rail

The first known use of altar rail was in 1705

See more words from the same year

Comments on altar rail

What made you want to look up altar rail? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

WORD OF THE DAY

contraption

a device or gadget

Test Your Vocabulary

Words for Summer: A Quiz

Which of the following words means “of or relating to summer”?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ