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Glite Dictionary
🛁 A holy water basin 💧 A sprinkling tool
aspersorium

aspersorium

9.9
A basin that holds holy water in a church
  • noun
  • /ˌæspərˈsɔːriəm/
  • Specialized
translation icon : aspersorio
  • The priest dipped his fingers into the aspersorium before entering the sanctuary.

Examples

  • During the ceremony, the altar server refilled the aspersorium with fresh holy water.

  • An ornate aspersorium stood at the entrance of the medieval cathedral.

  • The priest filled the aspersorium with holy water.

  • Did you see the aspersorium at St. Peter's Basilica?

  • During the ceremony, the altar server refilled the aspersorium with fresh holy water.

  • An ornate aspersorium stood at the entrance of the medieval cathedral.

  • The priest dipped his fingers into the aspersorium before entering the sanctuary.

Synonyms

stoop
vsaspersorium
  • Archaic
9.6

A bowl of holy water at a church entrance for people to touch

is used more generally inside Roman Catholic churches, not only at the entrance

How Big

font
4 8.5
aspersorium
  • Specialized
9.9
bowl
370 1.0
cup
846 1.0

Surface Forms

aspersorium singular
aspersoria plural

Morphology

aspersorium = aspers + orium

A learned Latin formation (asper- 'to sprinkle' + -orium) used in ecclesiastical contexts; the components are not productive or transparently meaningful to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Aspersorium comes from the Latin verb aspergere, which means 'to sprinkle'. It was the basin that held holy water for sprinkling at the church entrance, so the name reminds you it is for 'sprinkling' water.