Where does “sacrament” come from?
Sacrament comes from Old French sacrement, from Latin sacramentum, derived from Latin sacro, which is rooted in Latin sacer meaning sacred, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k-.
sacrament (English): A sacred act or ceremony in Christianity. In...
Definitions
- A sacred act or ceremony in Christianity. In...
Ancestry of “sacrament”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | sacrement | coronation; sermon; sacrament |
| 2 | Latin | sacrāmentum | a sum of money deposited in pledge by two individuals involved in a suit, the money of the loser in the suit being used for religious purposes |
| 3 | Latin | sacrō | to declare or set apart as sacred; consecrate, dedicate, hallow or devote; sanctify, enshrine |
| 4 | Latin | sacer | sacred, holy, dedicated (to a divinity), consecrated, hallowed |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | sh₂krós | sacred |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | seh₂k- | sacred |