commination

[ kom-uh-ney-shuh n ]

/ ˌkɒm əˈneɪ ʃən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR commination ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a threat of punishment or vengeance.

a denunciation.

(in the Church of England) a penitential office read on Ash Wednesday in which God's anger and judgments are proclaimed against sinners.

Words nearby commination

commercialism, commerciality, commercialize, commie, comminate, commination, commines, commingle, comminute, comminuted, comminuted fracture

Origin of commination

1400–50; late Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Latin comminātiōn- (stem of comminātīo), equivalent to commināt(us), past participle of comminārī to threaten (com- com- + minārī to threaten) + -iōn- -ion

OTHER WORDS FROM commination

com·mi·na·tor, nouncom·min·a·to·ry

[kuh-min-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee, kom-uh-nuh-] /kəˈmɪn əˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i, ˈkɒm ə nə-/, com·mi·na·tive, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for commination

A papal excommunication is a billet-doux compared to the Commination of Jugana.
The Lock And Key Library|Various
Now this commination, unexpected as it was from a lady of wealth and position, was not altogether unwarranted, and so I went on.
Dr. Dumany's Wife|Mr Jkai
The painter would find here, however, some good subjects for his sketch-book, in spite of the commination of the Guide-book.
The Paris Sketch Book of Mr. M. A. Titmarsh: The Irish Sketch Book|William Makepeace Thackeray
This general sentence of excommunication is clearly the origin of the form of Commination still said on Ash Wednesday.
Parish Priests and Their People in the Middle Ages in England|Edward L. Cutts

And that we can only answer by the context of the Commination Service.
Town and Country Sermons|Charles Kingsley

British Dictionary definitions for commination

commination

/ (ˌkɒmɪˈneɪʃən) /

noun

the act or an instance of threatening punishment or vengeance

Church of England a recital of prayers, including a list of God's judgments against sinners, in the office for Ash Wednesday

Derived forms of commination

comminatory (ˈkɒmɪnətərɪ, -trɪ), adjective

Word Origin for commination

C15: from Latin comminātiō, from comminārī to menace, from com- (intensive) + minārī to threaten

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

commination

noun

Words related to commination

Words nearby commination

Origin of commination

OTHER WORDS FROM commination

Examples from the Web for commination

British Dictionary definitions for commination

noun

Derived forms of commination

Word Origin for commination