sacrament

noun sac·ra·ment \ ˈsa-krə-mənt \

Definition of sacrament

1 a :a Christian rite (such 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

See sacrament defined for English-language learners

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Examples of sacrament in a Sentence

They stood in line to receive the Sacrament.

Recent Examples of sacrament from the Web

The confusion originates with footnote 351, where Francis writes that such help from the Church may sometimes include the use of sacraments.

— tyler arnold, National Review, "On Divorce, the Pope’s Private Communications Don’t Change Church Teaching," 22 July 2017
Baena turns the sacrament of confession into a running gag, with Father Tommasso underreacting to various squalid revelations, yet Fernanda shows up with nothing on her conscience.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Medieval nuns own their pleasure in The Little Hours," 13 July 2017
Uhlorn also studied theology and liturgy, which is the order of the service and includes prayers, music and distribution of the sacraments.

— kathy hedberg, idahostatesman, "Once a masterly musician, Idaho nun struggles with dementia," 7 July 2017
Any person prepares himself or herself to enter into the sacraments.

— daniel burke, CNN, "Can this priest persuade church leaders to welcome gay Catholics?," 6 July 2017
The sartorial sacrament of the headband, the dislodgement of which inspires oh-no-he-didn’t gasps.

— chris herrington, USA TODAY, "Farewell to the greatest Grizzly Zach Randolph," 5 July 2017
A Eucharistic procession following the signing ceremony marked the first time the Blessed Sacrament — commonly known as Holy Communion, where wafers are given to the faithful — was presented in the Cathedral.

— kathleen luppi, Daily Pilot, "Bishop of Orange signs construction contract for renovation of Christ Cathedral," 25 May 2017
The church is the headquarters for Elevation Ministries, a non-profit religious group that says cannabis is its primary sacrament, protected by First Amendment freedom of conscience, and its founder is Steve Berke.

— peter g. chronis, The Denver Post, "Why was International Church of Cannabis kept secret from Denver neighborhood?," 1 May 2017
But Father Sebastiao Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) bravely opens the door and is relieved to find two Japanese Christians who have traveled from a nearby island for the sacraments.

— justin chang, The Mercury News, "Scorsese’s ‘Silence’ — masterwork of spiritual inquiry," 4 Jan. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of sacrament

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 13th century

See Words from the same year

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

SACRAMENT Defined for English Language Learners

sacrament

noun

Definition of sacrament for English Language Learners

: an important Christian ceremony (such as baptism or marriage)
the Sacrament : the bread and wine that are eaten and drunk during the Christian ceremony of Communion

SACRAMENT Defined for Kids

sacrament

noun sac·ra·ment \ ˈsa-krə-mənt \

Definition of sacrament for Students

:a Christian religious act or ceremony that is considered especially sacred

Learn More about sacrament

Spanish Central: Translation of sacrament Nglish: Translation of sacrament for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of sacrament for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about sacrament

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sacrament

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SACRAMENT Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of sacrament for English Language Learners

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sacrament

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sacrament

Definition of sacrament

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Origin and Etymology of sacrament

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