altar

American  

[awl-ter] / ˈɔl tər /

noun

• altars
  plural

1. an elevated place or structure, as a mound or platform at which religious rites are performed or on which sacrifices are offered to gods, ancestors, etc.

2. Ecclesiastical. communion table.

3. Astronomy. Altar, the constellation Ara.

4. (in a dry dock) a ledge for supporting the feet of shorings.

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idioms

1. lead to the altar, to marry.

   After a five-year courtship, he led her to the altar.

altar British  

/ ˈɔːltə /

noun

1. a raised place or structure where sacrifices are offered and religious rites performed

2. (in Christian churches) the communion table

3. a step in the wall of a dry dock upon which structures supporting a vessel can stand

4. informal to marry

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• altars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of altar

First recorded before 1000; Middle English alter, altar, auter, Old English altar, altare, alter; (compare Middle Dutch outaer, Old Saxon, Old Norse altari, Old High German altāri ), from Latin altāria (the more frequently used plural of altāre used in a singular sense), of disputed origin and formation, but probably akin to Latin adolēre “to make a burnt offering, cremate,” Umbrian uřetu “let it burn, set incense on the fire”

Explanation

An altar is a raised area in a house of worship where people can honor God with offerings. It is prominent in the Bible as "God's table," a sacred place for sacrifices and gifts offered up to God. The word altar comes from the Latin altārium, meaning "high," and also to the Latin adolere, which means "to ritually burn or sacrifice," which suggests its early purpose as detailed in the Bible. Nowadays, the altar is the place for non-sacrificial religious rites such as communion or weddings, and is a metaphor for offerings. Comedian Stephen Fry once said, “I am a lover of truth, a worshipper of freedom, a celebrant at the altar of language and purity and tolerance.”

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

altar altars

An altar in the home of a practitioner of an African diasporic religion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Torches lit the way for the 30-year-old groom, known by the callsign Ice, and the 32-year-old bride, Khomochka, through the woods to the altar as fellow soldiers formed a guard of honour.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

A delicious deep dive on a chicken-finger empire: Raising Cane’s has inspired a near-religious following, with devotees traveling across state lines and camping overnight for store openings, all to worship at the altar of chicken.

From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026

Bubba Weiler’s touching play follows two altar boys as they prepare for their confirmations and grapple with challenges to their beliefs and their relationship.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“Even if it were true,” he said, “what you would do is folly. You must not approach the god’s altar to try to prove him a villain.”

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Speaking of altars, Ms. Boston is sacrificing narrative momentum on behalf of a pretty obvious agenda—cataloging horror-movie conventions and classic devices and seeing if any still click.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

Shows like “Top Chef” teach us to genuflect at the altars of celebrity culinarians, viewing their restaurants and signature dishes as luxury experiences as opposed to showing regular folks how to think innovatively about dinner.

From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026

On November 1 and 2, many Mexicans will visit their dead in cemeteries and place offerings at home on colorful altars.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

A trailblazer in Chicano art, Amalia Mesa-Bains is known for her reimagining of traditional Mexican altars and offerings and her presentations of Mexican American women’s spirituality.

From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2024

The unprecedented price demanded—and at this embattled hour of the world’s history—is the transcendence of the realities of color, of nations, and of altars.

From "The Fire Next Time" by James Baldwin

Related Words

• shrine