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Glite Dictionary
✝️ A peace greeting 🕊️ A time of peace
pax

pax

9.9
A greeting or object showing peace that people share during a Catholic church service
  • noun
  • /pæks/
  • Archaic
translation icon : paz
  • The ornate silver pax was passed around during the service.

Examples

  • We exchanged the pax with our neighbors.

  • The priest raised the pax during the service.

  • During Mass, the congregation exchanged the pax as a symbol of unity.

  • He explained the history of the pax used in the medieval Catholic Church.

  • During the Mass, the priest invited the congregation to share the pax with each other as a sign of peace.

  • As the choir sang, the worshippers exchanged the pax to express their love and unity in faith.

  • Before receiving Communion, all the parishioners turned to one another to offer the pax, fostering a spirit of goodwill.

Synonyms

kiss of peace
vspax
  • Formal
9.1

A short greeting in church to show love and unity

is used to express peace and reconciliation among worshippers rather than unity

Compounds

Pax Romana
1 8.6

A long time of mostly peace and safety across the Roman Empire from 27 BC to AD 180

Surface Forms

pax singular
paxes plural

Etymology

The word pax comes from the Latin pax meaning 'peace', and in the church it became the name for a small object or a greeting passed during Mass to show that worshippers shared 'peace' with each other.