Illustration of aspergillum
aspergillum
noun
as·per·gil·lum
ˌa-spər-ˈji-ləm 
plural aspergilla
ˌa-spər-ˈji-lə
or aspergillums
or aspergillums
: a brush or small perforated container with a handle that is used for sprinkling holy water in a liturgical service
Examples of aspergillum in a Sentence
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Father David Askoak takes an aspergillum — a brush used for holy water — dips it into one of the containers and sprinkles the crowd with the water.
—
Anchorage Daily News, 13 May 2023
Harvard University researchers hoping to build stronger and lighter structures looked for inspiration in the deep-water sponge Euplectella aspergillum, whose tubelike skeleton forms a square grid with diagonal reinforcements.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2020
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Anchorage Daily News, 13 May 2023
Harvard University researchers hoping to build stronger and lighter structures looked for inspiration in the deep-water sponge Euplectella aspergillum, whose tubelike skeleton forms a square grid with diagonal reinforcements.
—Sarah Lewin Frasier, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Aspergillum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aspergillum. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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