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Glite Dictionary
unhouseled

unhouseled

1 9.9
Not having received communion from a priest before death
  • adjective
  • Archaic
: sin comulgar
  • In the old tales, many heroes were unhouseled at their deaths, leaving their souls to wander without the blessings of the Church.

Examples

  • Unhouseled, disappointed, unaneled.

    Hamlet (2000)

  • He was worried that he would face judgment unhouseled, knowing he had never taken part in the Eucharist.

  • The priest spoke solemnly about the fate of those who die unhouseled, emphasizing the importance of receiving the sacrament.

Synonyms

unaneled
vsunhouseled
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who dies without the final religious blessing

is specifically about missing the communion sacrament before death
unshriven
vsunhouseled
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who dies without having their sins forgiven

focuses on lacking communion rite rather than missing forgiveness

Surface Forms

unhouseled positive

Morphology

unhouseled = houseled (opaque) = un + houseled

The meaning of 'houseled' is not commonly known, making the negation with 'un-' obscure.

Etymology

The word unhouseled breaks into un- 'not' and houseled, from an old word meaning 'to give the communion or Eucharist' before death. So unhouseled describes someone who died without that religious rite, which people long ago thought could harm their soul.