sacerdotal
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sacerdotal
1350–1400; Middle English < Latin sacerdōtālis, equivalent to sacerdōt- (stem of sacerdōs ) priest + -ālis -al 1
Explanation
Something holy or sacred, especially if it's related to priests, is sacerdotal. Some sacerdotal duties might include celebrating Mass and hearing confessions. The religious adjective sacerdotal goes back to the Latin sacerdos, "offerer of sacrifices" or "priest." It's sometimes used to mean "sacred," and the two words share a root meaning "to sanctify," but it usually applies directly to priests. You might refer to the sacerdotal garments priests wear, the sacerdotal rites they perform, or the sacerdotal authority they hold within the church.
Vocabulary lists containing sacerdotal
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.
In December 1984, Rev. Cardenal was expelled from the Jesuit order and was suspended from conducting sacerdotal duties until further notice.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 22, 2016
His idea of public art, though secular and materialist, turned out to possess an immense sacerdotal gravity: it could stand in for religious icons.
From Time Magazine Archive
That sacerdotal view has altered in recent years.
From Washington Post
Celibacy advocates argue also that a priest is, or should be, a man set apart from the passions and concerns of ordinary men, and abstention from marriage is a proper sign of his sacerdotal distinction.
From Time Magazine Archive
He may therefore have conceived the idea of uniting this sacerdotal system with the rigid morals and aristocratic constitution of the Dorian states of Greece.
From Secret Societies of the Middle Ages by Keightley, Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
