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
Whidden, a tenor, sang an offertory song titled “The Anchor Holds.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2025
The mainstream churches are complying and many are offering online services, which include provisions for offertory to be made through mobile money donations.
From BBC ● Mar. 25, 2020
Participating in the offertory procession Saturday were Joao Baptista and his wife, Lucila Yurie, of Brazil.
From Washington Times ● May 13, 2017
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
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
These offertories varied from the simplest, such as milk and fruits, to the costliest, such as gold and jewels.
From India: What can it teach us? A Course of Lectures Delivered before the University Of Cambridge by Alexander Wilder
Even in the eighteenth century, church offertories in England were asked and given to loose captives out of prison.
From The Age of Erasmus Lectures Delivered in the Universities of Oxford and London by P. S. (Percy Stafford) Allen
Father Burrowes was even more successful as a preacher than he hoped; ascribing the steady flow of offertories to Divine favour, he instituted during the next four years, priories at Aldershot and Sandgate.
From The Altar Steps by Compton MacKenzie
I take great exception to your statement that the offertories both in the morning and in the evening were sent by me to Father Rowley regardless of the wishes of my parishioners.
From The Altar Steps by Compton MacKenzie
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