altar
Americannoun
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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.
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Ecclesiastical. communion table.
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Astronomy. Altar, the constellation Ara.
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(in a dry dock) a ledge for supporting the feet of shorings.
idioms
noun
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a raised place or structure where sacrifices are offered and religious rites performed
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(in Christian churches) the communion table
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a step in the wall of a dry dock upon which structures supporting a vessel can stand
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informal to marry
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.”
Vocabulary lists containing altar
Seedfolks
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Commonly Confused Words, List 1
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Frindle
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The focus of the research is the Altar Stone, a six-ton sandstone megalith located at the center of Stonehenge.
From Science Daily • Jun. 9, 2026
Sánchez and the officers protecting him had left Hermosillo, the capital of the state of Sonora, before sunrise on June 23 and by 7 a.m. had arrived in Altar.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
The Altar, a health club opening in New York this fall, is the brainchild of a group of founders with backgrounds in high finance and fashion.
From The Wall Street Journal • Sep. 12, 2025
The judges said Alter Altar "reflects upon everyday objects, animating them through sound and music to summon community and cultural inheritance", resulting in a "visual and aural experience that suggests both solidarity and joy".
From BBC • Dec. 3, 2024
“I have to go to the Altar Guild,” she said.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
