Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
purificator

purificator

9.9
A white cloth used in church services to wipe the cup after each person drinks the wine
  • noun
  • /ˌpjʊərɪfɪˈkeɪtər/
  • Jargon
translation icon : purificador
  • Sarah laundered the purificators used at Sunday’s service before returning them to the sacristy.

Examples

  • During Mass, a clean purificator is placed on the altar alongside the chalice.

  • The purificator is essential.

  • The priest carefully wiped the chalice with a purificator after each communicant received the wine.

  • I have a purificator.

  • The priest used a white linen purificator to wipe the chalice after serving communion.

  • During the service, the deacon carefully placed the purificator on the altar before the Eucharist.

  • She always ensures that the purificator is clean and pressed for the next mass.

Synonyms

purificatorium
vspurificator
  • Formal
9.9

A white cloth used to wipe the cup after each person drinks wine during Communion

is the same in use but is a different variant name
emunctorium
vspurificator
  • Archaic
9.9

A white cloth a priest uses to wipe the cup after each person drinks at Communion

is the same in use but is a different variant name
chalice cloth
vspurificator
  • Specialized
9.9

A piece of cloth used to cover the cup in a church communion service

is specifically for wiping after each communicant rather than covering or handling
sudarium
vspurificator
  • Archaic
9.9

A church cloth people use during services to cover the cup or wipe the priest's hands

is used only for chalice wiping after each communicant, not for hands or covering

Surface Forms

purificator singular
purificators plural

Morphology

purificator = purify (opaque) = purific + ator

The form is recognizably related to 'purify' but the Latinate suffix '-ator' and the stem change (purify → purific-) make the morphological relation less immediately regular for learners.

Etymology

Purificator comes from the same root as pure and purify, from the Latin purus meaning 'pure'. It is the small white cloth used to wipe the cup in church, so its name means a thing that 'makes clean' or 'purifies' the cup after people drink the wine.