sacrament

C2 · Proficiency Uncountable noun Religion Formal · Technical

n. the holy bread and wine used in a Christian church service to remember the death of Jesus.

n. the consecrated elements of the Eucharist, specifically the bread and wine. Often used with 'the' as a singular proper noun.

“The priest prepared the sacrament on the altar before the congregation arrived.”

“The rubrics of the service require that any remaining portion of the sacrament be consumed or reverently disposed of after the liturgy.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Literary

n. something that people treat with great respect and consider to be holy or very special.

n. anything regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance. Used figuratively to elevate the status of a secular object or concept.

“For the old man, working in his garden was a daily sacrament of peace.”

“The poet treated the act of writing as a private sacrament, a necessary ritual to make sense of the chaotic world around him.”

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Archaic · Technical

n. a very serious promise or oath, like the one soldiers in ancient Rome took to be loyal.

n. a solemn oath of allegiance, originally that taken by ancient Roman soldiers to their commander. Historical register.

“The soldiers swore a sacrament to defend the empire until death.”

“Scholars note that the early Christian use of the term was influenced by the Roman military sacrament, implying a total commitment to a new leader.”

C2 · Proficiency Archaic

v. to make someone promise something very seriously using a religious or formal oath.

v. to bind an individual by a solemn or sacred oath. Transitive use; now largely obsolete in modern prose.

“The king sought to sacrament his knights to the new code of honour.”

“In the ancient text, the initiates were sacramentally bound to secrecy regarding the hidden rites of the temple.”