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Glite Dictionary
paschal

paschal

9.9
Relating to Easter or Passover, the main religious holidays of Christians and Jews
  • adjective
  • /ˈpæskəl/
  • Formal
translation icon : pascual
  • Many families gather to celebrate the paschal meal during Passover every year.

Examples

  • In the paschal tradition, Christians reflect on the resurrection of Jesus.

  • LaCugna believed, in contrast, that the God revealed in the Incarnation and paschal mystery of Jesus Christ is a God who acts in the freedom of love (which cannot be reduced to a freedom of choice) and that this love is indistinguishable from the divine being.

    Academic text (2002)

  • The church held a special service to honor the paschal season of Easter.

Compounds

Paschal celery
7.2

A green celery variety that has crisp stalks and is grown for food

Paschal Lamb
9.9

A lamb that Christians use as a symbol of Jesus dying for people at Easter

Surface Forms

paschal positive

Morphology

paschal = pasch (opaque) = pasch + al

Although it contains the productive suffix -al, the base is a specialized religious term, so the meaning is not readily recoverable for an average learner.

Etymology

Paschal comes from the old word pascha, which comes from Hebrew pesach meaning 'Passover'. So paschal is used for things connected to Passover or to Easter, like the 'paschal lamb' or the 'paschal season'.