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Glite Dictionary
⚡ A solemn threat 🙏 A church prayer
commination

commination

9.9
A church service on Ash Wednesday that warns people of God's anger
  • noun
  • /ˌkɒmɪˈneɪʃən/
  • Archaic
translation icon : cominación
  • In his sermon, the priest explained the historical purpose of the commination in the liturgical year.

Examples

  • The commination service is held every Ash Wednesday.

  • The commination service is traditionally read in Anglican churches on Ash Wednesday.

  • During the commination, the congregation hears solemn warnings against sin and unrepentance.

  • During the commination, we reflect on our sins.

  • During the Ash Wednesday service, the priest delivered a commination that reminded the congregation of God's wrath towards unrepentant sinners.

  • The commination read aloud at church highlighted the consequences of ignoring God's commandments on this important day.

  • At the start of Lent, the commination serves as a sobering reminder of the need for repentance and humility before God.

Surface Forms

commination singular
comminations plural

Morphology

commination = comminate (opaque) = comminate + ion

As a church-service term derived from the rare verb 'comminate', the formation is learned and the specific liturgical sense is specialized rather than transparently compositional.

Etymology

Commination in church use is a special service of warnings and curses. The name comes from Latin comminari, with minari meaning 'to threaten', like the English menace, so the service is literally a reading of threats about God's punishment for sin.