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Glite Dictionary
sacramental oil

sacramental oil

9.5
Oil that priests use in religious ceremonies like baptism
  • noun
  • /ˌsækrəˈmɛntəl ɔɪl/
translation icon : óleo sacramental
  • The priest anointed the child with sacramental oil during the baptism ceremony.

Examples

  • The priest used sacramental oil during the baptism.

  • They prepared the sacramental oil before the Easter vigil.

  • Sacramental oil is stored in a special vessel in many churches.

  • Many churches keep sacramental oils for special ceremonies.

  • The priest anointed the child with sacramental oil during the baptism ceremony.

  • They prepared the sacramental oil before the Easter vigil.

  • Sacramental oil is stored in a special vessel in many churches.

Synonyms

holy oil
vssacramental oil
1 6.3

A special oil blessed by a priest for use in religious ceremonies

is a consecrated oil combined with balsam for use in specific rites
chrism
vssacramental oil
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A holy oil used in Christian ceremonies like baptism and confirmation

is the same consecrated oil and balsam mixture but described more generally
chrisom
vssacramental oil
  • Archaic
9.9

A holy oil used in Christian ceremonies like baptism

is the same mixture but used generally in various religious rites

Surface Forms

sacramental oil singular
sacramental oils plural

Morphology

sacramental + oil

The adjective 'sacramental' plainly relates to sacraments or religious rites and 'oil' is a common substance, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer 'oil used in sacraments' (i.e., consecrated oil). This is a compositional, cross-linguistically common noun phrase rather than an idiom, making the meaning predictable from its parts.

Etymology

Sacramental oil comes from the simple act of a priest putting special oil on a person's forehead or hands during a church ceremony. The oil was mixed with perfume and made 'holy', so it came to mean the special oil used to mark or 'bless' people in religious ceremonies.