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Glite Dictionary
Paschal Lamb

Paschal Lamb

9.9
A lamb that Christians use as a symbol of Jesus dying for people at Easter
  • noun
  • /ˈpæskəl læm/
translation icon : Cordero Pascual
  • Jesus ate the Paschal Lamb with His twelve Apostles, to whom He foretold His death.

Examples

  • During Passover, many families gather to share a meal that includes the Paschal Lamb.

  • The tradition of serving a Paschal Lamb at Easter celebrates Jesus Christ's sacrifice.

  • In the church service, the Paschal Lamb is symbolically remembered to honor Jesus's sacrifice.

Synonyms

Agnus Dei
vsPaschal Lamb
  • Literature
9.9

A picture or statue of a lamb with a halo and flag used as a sign of Jesus

focuses on the animal as a symbol of sacrifice especially during Easter

Surface Forms

Paschal Lamb singular
Paschal Lambs plural

Morphology

paschal + lamb

The phrase is compositionally built from 'paschal' (relating to Easter/Passover) + 'lamb', so a learner who knows both words can infer it refers to a lamb associated with Easter/Passover. However, the specific theological sense—that it symbolizes Jesus Christ's sacrifice—is cultural and not fully derivable from the constituents alone, so the meaning is only partly predictable.

Etymology

Paschal Lamb comes from the Jewish Passover practice of sacrificing a lamb for the feast. Early Christians used that Paschal image for Jesus because they believed he 'sacrificed' himself to save people, so today Paschal Lamb means a lamb that stands for Jesus' 'sacrifice' at Easter.