Sacrament

4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Sacrament \Sac"ra*ment\, v. t.
     To bind by an oath. [Obs.] --Laud.
     [1913 Webster]

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:



  Sacrament \Sac"ra*ment\, n. [L. sacramentum an oath, a sacred
     thing, a mystery, a sacrament, fr. sacrare to declare as
     sacred, sacer sacred: cf. F. sacrement. See {Sacred}.]
     1. The oath of allegiance taken by Roman soldiers; hence, a
        sacred ceremony used to impress an obligation; a solemn
        oath-taking; an oath. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I'll take the sacrament on't.         --Shak.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. The pledge or token of an oath or solemn covenant; a
        sacred thing; a mystery. [Obs.]
        [1913 Webster]
  
              God sometimes sent a light of fire, and pillar of a
              cloud . . . and the sacrament of a rainbow, to guide
              his people through their portion of sorrows. --Jer.
                                                    Taylor.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. (Theol.) One of the solemn religious ordinances enjoined
        by Christ, the head of the Christian church, to be
        observed by his followers; hence, specifically, the
        eucharist; the Lord's Supper.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     Syn: {Sacrament}, {Eucharist}.
  
     Usage: Protestants apply the term sacrament to baptism and
            the Lord's Supper, especially the latter. The R. Cath.
            and Greek churches have five other sacraments, viz.,
            confirmation, penance, holy orders, matrimony, and
            extreme unction. As sacrament denotes an oath or vow,
            the word has been applied by way of emphasis to the
            Lord's Supper, where the most sacred vows are renewed
            by the Christian in commemorating the death of his
            Redeemer. Eucharist denotes the giving of thanks; and
            this term also has been applied to the same ordinance,
            as expressing the grateful remembrance of Christ's
            sufferings and death. "Some receive the sacrament as a
            means to procure great graces and blessings; others as
            an eucharist and an office of thanksgiving for what
            they have received." --Jer. Taylor.
            [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  sacrament
       n : a formal religious act conferring a specific grace on those
           who receive it; the Protestant sacraments are baptism and
           the Lord's Supper; in the Roman Catholic Church and the
           Eastern Orthodox Church there are seven traditional rites
           accepted as instituted by Jesus: baptism and confirmation
           and Holy Eucharist and penance and holy orders and
           matrimony and extreme unction

From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]:

  SACRAMENT, n.  A solemn religious ceremony to which several degrees of
  authority and significance are attached.  Rome has seven sacraments,
  but the Protestant churches, being less prosperous, feel that they can
  afford only two, and these of inferior sanctity.  Some of the smaller
  sects have no sacraments at all -- for which mean economy they will
  indubitable be damned.