offertory
Americannoun
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offertories
plural
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(sometimes initial capital letter) the offering of the unconsecrated elements that is made to God by the celebrant in a Eucharistic service.
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Ecclesiastical.
noun
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the oblation of the bread and wine at the Eucharist
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the offerings of the worshippers at this service
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the prayers said or sung while the worshippers' offerings are being received
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of offertory
1350–1400; Middle English offertorie < Medieval Latin offertōrium place to which offerings are brought, offering, oblation, equivalent to Latin offer ( re ) ( see offer) + -tōrium -tory 2; cf. oblation
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:
As the priest then began the offertory portion of the liturgy, which often is accompanied by quiet music, the organist played a reflective piece very slowly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 24, 2025
A collage of photographs from his time on work experience was presented in the church as one of the offertory gifts during Requiem Mass.
From BBC ● May 17, 2025
Whidden, a tenor, sang an offertory song titled “The Anchor Holds.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025
The service itself incorporated many Indigenous elements and peoples, including an emotional moment when a woman in Native dress wept in front of Francis as she brought him the offertory gifts.
From Washington Times ● Jul. 28, 2022
Sister read Doña Laura's note explaining that this was an offertory bank, and everyone got to work a penny in the cloud and watch the little figure rise.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
In these days of monetary difficulties and agricultural depression the frequency of offertories is often a question difficult of solution.
From Churchwardens' Manual their duties, powers, rights, and privilages by George Henry Sumner
They regularly adorned their pew in the parish church, were liberal at offertories, exerted themselves, not without expense, in the Sunday school feast, and the like.
From A Life's Morning by George Gissing
Piano voluntaries, preludes, offertories, and postludes for religious services and Sunday schools. © 30Jul28; A1084933.
From U.S. Copyright Renewals, 1955 July - December by Library of Congress. Copyright Office
Among his greater works are ninety-three masses, a very large number of motettes, forty-five hymns for the whole year, sixty-eight offertories, and a large number of litanies, magnificats and madrigals.
From A Popular History of the Art of Music From the Earliest Times Until the Present by W. S. B. (William Smythe Babcock) Mathews
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