sacrament

Etymology

From Middle English sacrament, from Old French sacrement, from Ecclesiastical Latin sacrāmentum (“sacrament”), from Latin sacrō (“hallow, consecrate”), from sacer (“sacred, holy”), originally sum deposited by parties to a suit.

noun

1. (Christianity) A sacred act and the attendant ceremony, considered (theology) an outward sign of divine grace.
   Coordinate term: ordinance
   Priest: I'm sorry, it's Duncan Dirk Dick. I've just done it. / Father: Well, undo it. / Priest: Undo it? / Father: Yes. / Priest: This is a holy sacrament of the Church, not a bleeding hotel reservation. You can't just undo it. February 10 1989, Stephen Fry et al., “Christening”, in A Bit of Fry and Laurie, season 1, episode 5
2. (in particular) The Eucharist.
3. The consecrated Eucharist (especially the bread).
4. (by extension) A thing which is regarded as possessing a sacred character or mysterious significance.
   The dots are easy to connect, because they’re so close together, and because they’re the entry and exit wounds inflicted on US society by the subculture whose sacrament is the gun. 2022-05-30, Rebecca Solnit, “US mass shootings will continue until the majority can overrule the minority”, in The Guardian
5. (Ancient Rome) The oath of allegiance taken by soldiers in Ancient Rome; hence, any sacred ceremony used to impress an obligation; a solemn oath-taking; an oath.

verb

1. (transitive) To bind by an oath.