chrismation

1 9.9

A Christian ceremony where a person is given holy oil after baptism

noun
/ˌkrɪzˈmeɪʃən/

Specialized

: crismación

During the ceremony, the priest applies holy oil to the forehead of each candidate to perform chrismation.

Examples

The bishop led the chrismation ceremony for the new members of the church.
The priest performed the chrismation during the ceremony.
In the Orthodox tradition, chrismation is performed immediately after baptism.
After his chrismation, he was considered a full member of the faith community.
Many children receive chrismation after baptism.
Today, many infants receive the sacrament of chrismation shortly after their baptism in the Orthodox Church.
Those who undergo chrismation become full members of the Eastern Orthodox Church and can partake in the Eucharist.

Synonyms

anointing

vschrismation

9 7.9

To put oil on a person or thing in a religious ceremony

is a particular Christian rite where oil is used in specific churches

anointment

vschrismation

1 8.2

To apply oil to a person in a religious ceremony to show blessing or protection

is a specific Christian rite where oil is applied as a sacred blessing

Surface Forms

chrismation singular

chrismations plural

Morphology

chrismation = chrism (semi-transparent) = chrism + ation

The word is clearly built from chrism + -ation, but the result is a specialized church term rather than a fully predictable everyday derivation.

Etymology

Chrismation comes from the Greek word chrisma meaning 'anointing' and is related to christos meaning 'anointed', the same root as Christ. So, chrismation is the ceremony of anointing a person with holy oil.