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aspergillum

[as-per-jil-uh m]
noun, plural as·per·gil·la [as-per-jil-uh] /ˌæs pərˈdʒɪl ə/, as·per·gil·lums. Roman Catholic Church.
  1. a brush or instrument for sprinkling holy water; aspersorium.
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Origin of aspergillum

1640–50; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin asperg(ere) to besprinkle (see a-5, sparge) + -illum diminutive suffix
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for aspergillum

Historical Examples

  • He is attended by a minister with a vase of holy water, an aspergillum and a copy of the Rituale or missal.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 3, Slice 5

    Various

  • We have already mentioned an ancient Christian fresco in which an aspergillum is represented.

  • On this table were a silver crucifix, a vase filled with holy water, and an aspergillum.

  • A portion of the cylindrical stem of a flabellum or aspergillum, probably French of the twelfth century, is in the British Museum.

    History of the Fan

    George Woolliscroft Rhead

  • The brush used for sprinkling is an aspergill (aspergillum), or aspersoir, and the vessel for this water an aspersorium.

British Dictionary definitions for aspergillum

aspergillum

aspergill (ˈæspədʒɪl)

noun plural -gilla (-ˈdʒɪlə), -gillums or -gills
  1. another term for aspersorium (def. 2)
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Word Origin

C17: from New Latin aspergillum, from Latin aspergere, from spargere to sprinkle
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