altar boy
23
3.6
- noun
- /ˈɔltər bɔɪ/
:
monaguillo
- He was an altar boy.
- a former altar boy
- serve as an altar boy
- altar boys and priests
He was like, were you ever an altar boy?
- He was like, were you ever an altar boy?
- You know, just ask all those poor little altar boys who are abused.
- I, I am as civil as as any Eagle Scout, Catholic altar boy could be when confronted with the devil.
Examples
-
The altar boy returned to snuff the candles and collect the cruets of wine and water.
Fiction book (1994) -
I still fondly remember getting to serve as one of his altar boys when he celebrated Mass while visiting.
Blog text (5) -
I was an altar boy.
-
Could you help an old altar boy, Father?
-
I liked being an altar boy for two reasons.
Fiction book (1994) -
During grade school, I enjoyed being an altar boy because I believed the religious ceremonies brought me to God.
Academic text (2008) -
During the collection part of the Mass, each altar boy would take one side of the pews.
Fiction book (1994) -
My father served as an altar boy at Father Capodanno's first Mass.
Blog text (2) -
I was an altar boy at Saint Timothy's.
-
I served as an altar boy during Sunday Mass every week.
Synonyms
1
5.5
A girl who helps the priest during a church service
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a boy who assists a priest at the altar' is directly derivable from combining 'altar' (the structure used for worship) with 'boy' (a male child), forming a transparent role-denoting compound. This straightforward noun+noun composition is common across languages and follows regular English compounding patterns, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will understand the MWE.
Etymology
Altar boy comes from the simple image of a boy standing at the church altar, handing candles, books, or the cross to the priest. So the phrase means 'a boy who assists the priest during services'.