Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| aarti arti | a ceremony in which candles dipped in ghee are lighted and offered to various deities. |
| absolution | remission of sins, declared officially by a priest. |
| affusion | a pouring on, as of baptismal water. |
| agape | a love feast practiced by early Christians in connection with the Last Supper; Christian love > AGAPAE, AGAPAI, AGAPES. |
| agapeic | relating to AGAPE, Christian love. |
| anele | to anoint with extreme unction. |
| anoint | to apply oil to as a sacred rite. |
| arti | see AARTI. |
| assoilment | absolution. |
| baptise baptize | to administer baptism to. |
| baptism | immersion in water as a religious ceremony. |
| baptismal | relating to BAPTISM > BAPTISMALLY. |
| baptize | see BAPTISE. |
| beatify | to make blessed or supremely happy. |
| bris briss brith | a Jewish circumcision rite. |
| careme | Lent. |
| carritch | (Scots) a CATECHISM. |
| catechesis | primary oral instruction, as that given to CATECHUMENS > CATECHESES. |
| catechetic catechetical | relating to CATECHISM. |
| catechise catechize | to instruct in the CATECHISM. |
| catechiser catechizer | one who CATECHIZES. |
| catechism | a form of instruction by means of questions and answers. |
| catechize | see CATECHISE. |
| catechumen | one undergoing instruction prior to conversion to Christianity. |
| cense | to perfume with the odour of burning incense; to worship or honour with burning incense. |
| cheder heder | in Judaism, a religious lesson, or the place where it is held > CHEDERS, CHADARIM or CHEDARIM; HEDERS, HADARIM or HEDARIM. |
| childermas | Holy Innocents Day, Dec. 28 > CHILDERMASES. |
| chrismation | the sacrament of baptism in Eastern churches. |
| christen | to BAPTISE in the name of Christ. |
| churching | a church ceremony given to women after childbirth. |
| complin compline | in the Christian liturgy, the seventh and last service of the day, at 9pm, completing the set hours for prayer. |
| confessional | the practice of confession. |
| conventicle | an assembly for religious worship, esp. a secret meeting for worship not sanctioned by law; (verb) to hold such an assembly. |
| corybantic | relating to CORYBANTISM, wildly excited. |
| corybantism | the rites of Cybele, which were accompanied with noisy music and wild dances. |
| cultus | a religious ritual; a cult > CULTI or CULTUSES. |
| devotional | a short worship service. |
| dhikr | a Sufi religious ceremony. |
| disanoint | to invalidate the consecration of; as, to disanoint a king. |
| disple | to discipline, chastise. |
| doseh | a religious ceremony at Cairo (abolished 1884), during the festival of the Prophet's birth, when the sheikh of the Sa'di dervishes rode on horseback over the prostrate bodies of his followers. |
| eucharistic | relating to the Eucharist. |
| evensong | an Anglican service held in the afternoon or evening. |
| examen | an examination; an inquiry, esp. a formal examination of the soul or conscience. |
| exorcise exorcize | to free of an evil spirit. |
| feria | a weekday of the church calendar on which no feast is celebrated > FERIAE or FERIAS. |
| ferial | pertaining to holidays. |
| fiesta | in Spain or Spanish America: a religious festival; gen. any festivity or holiday. |
| gongyo | a Buddhist ceremony > GONGYOS. |
| gradual | happening by degrees > GRADUALLY; (noun) the part of mass between epistle and gospel > GRADUALS. |
| haj hadj hajj | a Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca > HAJES, HAJJES, HAJJES. |
| halal hallal | to slaughter according to Muslim law > HALALS, HALALLING, HALALLED; HALLALS, HALLALLING, HALLALLED. |
| holyday | a religious festival. |
| holytide | a time of religious observance. |
| housel | the Eucharist; the act of taking or administering; (verb) to administer the Eucharist > HOUSELS, HOUSELING or HOUSELLING, HOUSELED or HOUSELLED. |
| housling | sacramental; (noun) the administration of the sacrament > HOUSLINGS. |
| ibadah | in Islam, service, worship > IBADAT. |
| iftar | a meal eaten by Muslims to break their fast after sunset during Ramadan. |
| indulgence | a former Catholic pardon granted for remission of punishment for sins; (verb) to grant an indulgence > INDULGENCES, INDULGENCING, INDULGENCED. |
| intinction | a mode of administering communion by dipping bread into wine. |
| jhatka | the slaughter of animals for food in accordance with Sikh law. |
| kasher | to make kosher. [Hebrew kasher, fitness]. |
| keblah kibla kiblah qibla | (the direction of) the place to which Muslims must turn for prayer, now the Kaaba at Mecca. |
| kirking | the first attendance of a couple at church after marriage. |
| koan | a nonsensical question given to Buddhist students for contemplation. |
| kosher | permissible to eat under Jewish law; (verb) to make kosher. [Hebrew kasher, fitness]. |
| laetare | the fourth Sunday in Lent. |
| lavabo | a ceremony in which a priest washes his hands; a basin for the ceremony > LAVABOES or LAVABOS. |
| lectisternium | an ancient Greek/Roman religious rite in which the images of gods were placed on couches and food spread before them > LECTISTERNIA or LECTISTERNIUMS. |
| lustral | of or pertaining to, or used for, purification; as, lustral days; lustral water. |
| lustrate | to purify by sacrifice. |
| lustration | ritual washing; ablution. |
| lustrative | tending to LUSTRATE. |
| maigre | in the Roman Catholic church, not containing meat or its juices, thus permissible on days of abstinence; (noun) a day on which abstinence is enjoined > MAIGRES. |
| martyrise martyrize | to offer as a sacrifice; to cause to suffer martyrdom. |
| matsuri | a Shinto festival or public ceremony held at a shrine > MATSURIS. |
| matin mattin | a morning prayer service. |
| maundy | the religious ceremony of washing the feet of the poor, in commemoration of Christ's washing the disciples' feet (John 13), formerly practised by some monarchs. |
| meagre | scanty > MEAGRER, MEAGREST; MEAGRELY; (noun) the MAIGRE, in the Roman Catholic church, a day on which abstinence is enjoined > MEAGRES. |
| missa | the service or sacrifice of the Mass > MISSAE. |
| molochise molochize | to sacrifice (as to Moloch). |
| mondo | a rapid question and answer technique employed in Zen Buddhism > MONDOS. |
| nachtmaal nagmaal | a Dutch Reformed Church Sacrament, the Lord's Supper. [Afk. nagmaal (Du. nachtmaal), f. nag (Du. nacht) night + maal meal]. |
| nipter | an ecclesiastical ceremony of washing the feet. [Gk. nipter, basin]. |
| nocturn | any one of the three sections of the service of Matins. |
| noint | to anoint. |
| novena | a series of Catholic church services held on nine successive days > NOVENAE or NOVENAS. |
| obit | a religious office for a dead person. |
| obital | relating to an OBIT, a religious office for a dead person. |
| oblation | an act of offering; a sacrifice. |
| oblational | relating to OBLATION, the act of offering. |
| oblatory | relating to OBLATION. |
| offertory | the part of the Eucharist, usu. following the readings and the Creed, during which the bread and wine are placed on the altar and any collection is taken. |
| oint | to anoint. |
| orthopraxis | correct practice in religion > ORTHOPRAXES. |
| orthros | one of the Greek canonical hours > ORTHROSES. |
| panegyry | a great assembly; a religious festival. |
| panification | transformation into bread. |
| parasceve | among the Jews, the evening before the Sabbath. |
| passover | a Jewish festival. |
| penance | an act of humiliation or punishment, either undertaken voluntarily or imposed by a priest to express or show evidence of sorrow for sin; (verb) to impose penance on. |
| pericopal pericopic | relating to a PERICOPE, an excerpt or passage read during religious services. |
| pericope | an extract or passage, esp one selected for reading in church > PERICOPAE or PERICOPES. |
| piacular | expiatory, e.g. 'Dogs were also favourite piacular victims, as in the Lupercalia'. |
| pilgrimage | the journeying of a pilgrim; a journey to a shrine or other holy place, or to a place venerated for its associations. |
| pilgrimise pilgrimize | to go on pilgrimage. |
| pooja poojah puja pujah | a Hindu act of worship or prayer. |
| porge | in Jewish ritual, to cleanse a slaughtered animal by removing the forbidden parts. |
| preachify | to discourse in the manner of a preacher. |
| preachment | a religious harangue; a sermon. |
| proper | a service, psalm set apart for a particular day or occasion > PROPERS; (adj.) fitting > PROPERER, PROPEREST; PROPERLY. |
| puja pujah | see POOJA. |
| pulpitry | the teaching of the pulpit; preaching. |
| qibla | see KIBLA. |
| rebaptise rebaptize | to baptize again or a second time. |
| rebaptism | a second baptism. |
| sabbat sabath | a witches' midnight meeting. |
| sabbatise sabbatize | to observe as a Sabbath. |
| sabbatism | intermission of labor, as upon the Sabbath. |
| sacralise sacralize | to make sacred. |
| sacrament | to bind by an oath or sacrament. |
| sacred | dedicated to or set apart for the worship of a deity > SACREDLY. |
| sacredness | the state of being SACRED. |
| sacring | the act or ritual of consecration; a sacring bell is a bell rung at moment of elevation of the Host. |
| sadhana | one of a number of spiritual practices or disciplines which lead to perfection, these being contemplation, asceticism, worship of a god, and correct living. |
| sain | to make the sign of the cross over. |
| salamon | the mass, as in the vagrants' inviolable oath 'by the salamon'. |
| salat | a set of prayers performed by Muslims five times a day while facing towards Mecca. |
| samskara | a Hindu purification ceremony. |
| sane | of sound mind > SANER, SANEST; SANELY; (verb) to bless. |
| satsang | a sacred gathering in Hinduism. |
| scatophagy | the religious practice of eating excrement. |
| the slaughtering of animals in accordance with rabbinical law. [Hebrew shehitah, slaughter]. | |
| sehri sohur suhur | a meal eaten before sunrise by those fasting during Ramadan. |
| sermon | a religious address esp. from a pulpit; (verb) to preach a sermon. |
| sermonet sermonette | a short SERMON. |
| sermonic sermonical | like, or appropriate to, a SERMON. |
| sext | the office of the sixth hour. |
| shabbatot | Jewish sabbaths. No singular: this should be capitalised but appears due to an error in Webster! |
| shechita | see SCHECHITA. |
| shechitah | see SCHECHITA. |
| shehita | see SCHECHITA. |
| shehitah | see SCHECHITA. |
| shibah shivah shiva | a period of seven days' mourning observed after a Jewish funeral. |
| shidduch | an arranged marriage > SHIDDUCHIM. |
| shiur | a lesson, esp. one in which a passage of the Talmud is studied together by a group of people > SHIURIM. [Hebrew shiur, measurement]. |
| shiva | see SHIBAH. |
| shivah | see SHIBAH. |
| shloshim | the period of thirty days' deep mourning following a death > SHLOSHIMS. [Hebrew 'thirty (days)']. |
| shraddha sraddha sradha | an offering to the manes of an ancestor. |
| shrieve | to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to. |
| shrift | a prescribed penance; a confessional. |
| shrive | to administer the sacrament of reconciliation to > SHRIVES, SHRIVING, SHRIVED or SHROVE, SHRIVEN. |
| shrove | to celebrate Shrovetide > SHROVES, SHROVING, SHROVED. |
| sraddha | see SHRADDHA. |
| sradha | see SHRADDHA. |
| succos sukkos | a Jewish religious festival of thanksgiving. N.B. these are plural. |
| suovetaurilia | a Roman sacrifice of a sheep, pig or ox. |
| synaxis | in the early Church, meeting for worship, esp. the Eucharist > SYNAXES. [Gk. synaxis a bringing together, from syn together, and agein, to lead]. |
| taurobolium | the sacrifice of a bull, as in the ancient Phrygian cult of Cybele > TAUROBOLIA. |
| tenebrae | matins and lauds of the following day sung on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Holy Week - candles are extinguished one by one at the end of each psalm with the final psalm being sung in darkness. N.B. no TENEBRA*. |
| terce | a prayer service held at 9 a.m. |
| terefa terefah tref trefa trefah treif treifa trayf | in Judaism, not ritually clean, not kosher. |
| theophagous | relating to THEOPHAGY, the sacramental consumption of a god. |
| theophagy | the sacramental consumption of a god. |
| thurify | to perfume with the odour of burning incense. |
| tref | see TEREFA. |
| trefa | see TEREFA. |
| trefah | see TEREFA. |
| treif | see TEREFA. |
| treifa | see TEREFA. |
| trental | a series of thirty requiem masses, or the payment for seeing them. |
| triduum | a period of three days of prayer preceding Roman Catholic feasts > TRIDUUMS (not TRIDUA*). |
| tzedakah | charitable giving as a moral obligation among Jews. |
| umra umrah | a lesser pilgrimage to Mecca made separately or at the same time as the hajj, and consisting of a number of devotional rituals performed within the city. |
| unaneled | without extreme unction. |
| unbaptise unbaptize | to undo the effects of baptism. |
| unchurch | to expel, or cause to separate, from a church; to excommunicate. |
| unction | anointing as right of consecration or healing. |
| unhouseled unhouzzled | not HOUSELED, i.e. not having received the Eucharist shortly before death. |
| unkosher | not KOSHER. |
| unaneled unnaneld | without extreme unction having been administered. |
| unshrived unshriven | not shriven. |
| utas | the seventh day after a festival > UTASES. |
| vesper | the sixth of the daytime canonical hours of prayer, orig. appointed for the early evening; the office appointed for this hour. [L. vesper, evening star, evening]. |
| vespers | a prayer service held in early evening. |
| viaticum | Holy Communion administered to a dying person; travelling provisions or expenses > VIATICA or VIATICUMS. |
| worship | to revere > WORSHIPS, WORSHIPING or WORSHIPPING, WORSHIPED or WORSHIPPED. |
| wudu | in Islam, ritual washing before the daily prayer > WUDUS. |
| yahrzeit | an anniversary of the death of a family member observed by Jews. |
| yom | a Jewish day, esp in a religious context > YOMIM. |
| yule | christmas or Christmastide; the feast of the Nativity of our Savior. |
| yuletide | the Christmas season. |
| zazen | Zen meditation. |