altar
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.
Idioms about altar
lead to the altar, to marry: After a five-year courtship, he led her to the altar.
Origin of altar
1Words that may be confused with altar
- altar , alter
Words Nearby altar
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 | EaterYet 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 | FortuneUnder 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.
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 | NautilusAs you drink your coffee you guide your mind back to the opera, the cross-dressing Cain and Abel, the upside-down altar.
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 | THE DAILY BEASTThey 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 | THE DAILY BEASTWhen 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 | THE DAILY BEASTHe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTRamona had covered the box with white cloth, and the lace altar-cloth thrown over it fell in folds to the floor.
Ramona | Helen Hunt JacksonAfter 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 JacksonAnd 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 | VariousIn 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. PikeInside 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
/ (ˈɔːltə) /
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
Origin of altar
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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