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to concelebrate

to concelebrate

1 9.7
To lead a religious service, especially Mass, together with other priests
  • verb
  • /ˌkɒnˈsiːlɛˌbreɪt/
  • Specialized
: concelebrar
  • concelebrate a Mass

Examples

  • Bishop DiMarzio will be on hand, along with several priests who have close associations with the parish, for a massive concelebrated Mass at 12:30.

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  • The bishop invited several priests to concelebrate the special Mass at the cathedral.

  • During the ceremony, the priests will concelebrate to signify their unity in faith.

  • Many clergy members gathered to concelebrate the Eucharist on Christmas Day.

Synonyms

to officiate
vsto concelebrate
  • Formal
18 6.6

To lead a ceremony, such as a wedding, as a person with authority

share leading a religious service together with other leaders

Surface Forms

concelebrate infinitive
concelebrated past participle
concelebrating present participle
concelebrates third person singular

Morphology

concelebrate = celebrate (semi-transparent) = con + celebrate

Formally 'con-' + 'celebrate' yields 'celebrate together', which is clear, but the verb is mainly used for a specialized liturgical action (joint celebration of a Mass), so general learners may not infer the exact religious nuance.

Etymology

Concelebrate comes from Latin parts con- meaning 'with' and celebrare meaning 'to celebrate', and it shares the same root as the everyday word celebrate. So, imagine two or more priests 'celebrating with' each other — to concelebrate is to lead a Mass or religious ceremony together.