aspergillum

American  

[as-per-jil-uhm] / ˌæs pərˈdʒɪl əm /

noun

Roman Catholic Church.

plural

aspergilla, aspergillums

1. a brush or instrument for sprinkling holy water; aspersorium.

---

aspergillum British  

/ ˌæspəˈdʒɪləm, ˈæspədʒɪl /

noun

1. another term for aspersorium

---

Etymology

Origin of aspergillum

1640–50; < New Latin, equivalent to Latin asperg ( ere ) to besprinkle ( see a- ⁵, sparge) + -illum diminutive suffix

Example Sentences

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

At the entrance to Pagan temples stood vases of holy liquid, a mixture of salt and common water; and, on bas-reliefs, the aspergillum or brush for the ceremony of sprinkling is carved.

From Pioneers of Evolution from Thales to Huxley With an Intermediate Chapter on the Causes of Arrest of the Movement by Clodd, Edward