ciborium
Americannoun
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a permanent canopy placed over an altar; baldachin.
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any container designed to hold the consecrated bread or sacred wafers for the Eucharist.
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Archaic. a severy.
noun
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a goblet-shaped lidded vessel used to hold consecrated wafers in Holy Communion
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a freestanding canopy fixed over an altar and supported by four pillars
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of ciborium
1645–55; < Latin: drinking-cup < Greek kibṓrion literally, the seed vessel of the Egyptian lotus, which the cup apparently resembled
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.
See Examples For:
At St. Alphonsa’s on Monday, the police said they believed the break-in was a burglary, and noted that a DVD player was taken with the two ceremonial vessels, a monstrance and a ciborium.
From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2015
Its next choice, a ciborium given to “France or Germany” and assigned a date in the late 14th or early 15th century, was less inspired.
From New York Times ● Nov. 18, 2011
Although many U. S. Catholics consider him a self- possessed, even arrogant man, his voice choked when he presented to Archbishop O'Doherty the Pope's gift to the Congress, a gold ciborium.
From Time Magazine Archive
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The tabernacle containing the ciborium and Host was gone.
From Time Magazine Archive
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In the north wall is a square marble panel with an enthroned Christ, of Byzantine type, like the ciborium and the nave columns a relic of an earlier building.
From The Shores of the Adriatic The Austrian Side, The Küstenlande, Istria, and Dalmatia by Jackson, F. Hamilton (Frederick Hamilton)
The last chapel contains two fine fifteenth century ciboria, and the tomb of Cardinal Antonio Pallavicini, 1507.
From Walks in Rome by Hare, Augustus J. C.
It opened, and my candle reflected a blaze on gold and silver vessels, consecrated chalices; a dazzling monstra, and several richly-carved ciboria of solid gold, set with precious stones.
From The Shame of Motley: being the memoir of certain transactions in the life of Lazzaro Biancomonte, of Biancomonte, sometime fool of the court of Pesaro by Sabatini, Rafael
They are principally upon ecclesiastical objects, missal covers, croziers, chalices, ciboria, pyx, candlesticks, crosses and tabernacles.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 3 "Electrostatics" to "Engis" by Various
There were heaps on heaps of costly articles: robes, mantles, vestments, richly embroidered with gold and precious gems, gold and silver chalices, shrines, ciboria, pastoral staffs, and a host of valuables too numerous to remember.
From Told by the Death's Head A Romantic Tale by J?kai, M?r
Medieval pyxes and ciboria are often beautiful examples of the goldsmith’s, enameller’s and metal-worker’s craft.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 3 "Chitral" to "Cincinnati" by Various
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.