aspergillum
Americannoun
plural
aspergilla, aspergillumsnoun
Etymology
Origin of aspergillum
1640–50; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin asperg ( ere ) to besprinkle ( see a- 5, sparge) + -illum diminutive suffix
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.
Aspergillus fumigatus is a grayish-green mold that gets its weird name from the shape of its spore-producing structures, which resemble an aspergillum, a Christian liturgical tool used to sprinkle holy water.
From Salon • Mar. 22, 2023
After Communion, the parishioners, many carrying bunches of willow branches wrapped in twine, congregated before the altar as Lebed picked up the aspergillum, a brush he used to sprinkle holy water.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2022
At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, cylindrical clusters of the glass sponge Euplectella aspergillum jut upward like skyscrapers in the deep sea.
From New York Times • Sep. 9, 2021
The priest had forgotten his aspergillum, the holy water sprinkler, and used a backup bottle to bless the assembled.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2019
On this table were a silver crucifix, a vase filled with holy water, and an aspergillum.
From The Memoirs of Victor Hugo by Hugo, Victor
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.
