Word of the Day

: January 3, 2018

sacerdotal

adjective sass-er-DOH-tul

What It Means

1 : of or relating to priests or a priesthood : priestly

2 : of, relating to, or suggesting religious belief emphasizing the powers of priests as essential mediators between God and humankind

sacerdotal in Context

The priest gives a homily after reciting the Gospel as part of his sacerdotal duties.

"… as they approached, the priest, dressed in his sacerdotal garments, made his appearance…." — Sir Walter Scott, Quentin Durward, 1823

Did You Know?

Sacerdotal is one of a host of English words derived from the Latin adjective sacer, meaning "sacred." Other words derived from sacer include desecrate, sacrifice, sacrilege, consecrate, sacrament, and even execrable (developed from the Latin word exsecrari, meaning "to put under a curse"). One surprising sacer descendant is sacrum, referring to the series of five vertebrae in the lower back connected to the pelvis. In Latin this bone was called the os sacrum, or "holy bone," a translation of the Greek hieron osteon.