altar

[ awl-ter ]

/ ˈɔl tər /

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noun

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.

Ecclesiastical. communion table.

Altar, Astronomy. the constellation Ara.

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

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Idioms about altar

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

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”

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH altar

altar , alter

Words nearby altar

Altair, Altai Republic, Altamaha, Altamira, Altamonte Springs, altar, altarage, altar board, altar boy, altar bread, altar call

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use altar in a sentence

So as we cook, our kitchens can become temples and our pantries can transform into altars, which opens our space for the feelings, emotions, memories and questions that arise.
Meet Four Craft Chocolate Makers Decolonizing the Industry|Jinji Fraser|October 22, 2020|Eater
Yet at the same time, her refusal to sacrifice her personal life at the altar of her career flouts many of the old “rules” for getting to the top.
How Jane Fraser broke banking’s highest glass ceiling|Claire Zillman, reporter|October 19, 2020|Fortune
Under normal circumstances, my family’s Chuseok celebrations are mostly focused on the food and gathering aspects — but still, we’re hit with the realization that those we love could one day be a name before an altar of food we set.
The Meaning of Chuseok During a Pandemic Year|Nina Yun|October 9, 2020|Eater
It also held a large, flat stone like an altar, with traces of human and animal blood.
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Jo Marchant|September 2, 2020|Nautilus

As you drink your coffee you guide your mind back to the opera, the cross-dressing Cain and Abel, the upside-down altar.
The first murder|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In a show about single women, Sex and The City was always in a rush to get to the altar—and with a man there waiting.
Why Singles Should Say ‘I Don’t’ to The Self-Marriage Movement|Tim Teeman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They might be surprised how much money they would save on altar bread.
The Great Divide Facing Pope Francis That Only Catholics Understand|Barbie Latza Nadeau|September 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When Jack was lying on the altar with the stones, that was really hard for me because I got a bit giggly.
Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey on Cersei Lannister’s Future and That Controversial Rape Scene|Marlow Stern|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He embraces her and, in a fit of demented anger and frustration, sexually assaults her against the altar of their dead son.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most WTF Scenes: Twincest Rape, Shadow Baby, George W. Bush’s Head, and More|Marlow Stern|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Kingslayer shoves her against the altar of their dead son, and then to the ground beside it.
Game of Thrones’ 8 Most WTF Scenes: Twincest Rape, Shadow Baby, George W. Bush’s Head, and More|Marlow Stern|April 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ramona had covered the box with white cloth, and the lace altar-cloth thrown over it fell in folds to the floor.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
After a few seconds Ramona rose, went into the house, brought out the white altar-cloth, and laid it over the mutilated face.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
And one of the seraphims flew to me, and in his hand was a live coal, which he had taken with the tongs off the altar.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
In return, each of the priests placed an image of Buddha on a tree-root, turning it into an altar.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Inside its darkened walls a single monk chanted his monotonous prayer before an altar.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike

British Dictionary definitions for altar

altar

/ (ˈɔːltə) /

noun

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

(in Christian churches) the communion table

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

lead to the altar informal to marry

Word Origin for altar

Old English, from Latin altāria (plural) altar, from altus high

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

altar

Idioms about altar

Origin of altar

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH altar

Words nearby altar

Words related to altar

How to use altar in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for altar

Word Origin for altar