Chrismatory

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A container or vessel used for holding chrism, the sacred oil used in various religious ceremonies
2. A type of receptacle designed specifically for preserving and dispensing holy anointing oils in ecclesiastical practices
3. An item associated with the liturgical use of chrism, often found in places of worship for ceremonial purposes

Etymology: A chrismatory is a small vessel for holding chrism, the consecrated oil used in the Christian church for anointing at rites such as baptism, confirmation and ordination. The word's path into English runs through Medieval Latin "chrismatorium," a formation built on "chrisma" (also "crisma"), which is itself the Greek word for an anointing with oil, rooted in the verb meaning "to anoint." Middle English took it up as "crismatorie," so the word arrived as a piece of ecclesiastical vocabulary carried in from the Latin of the medieval church. What makes it notable is how plainly it reveals its job: the suffix "-ory" marks a container or place for something, as in "dormitory" or "lavatory," so the word simply means "the thing that holds the chrism." Its close relative in the same tradition is the chrismal, a related vessel name that tracks the same Latin source.

Synonyms: chrismarium, chrismal book, chrism book, holy oil book, anointing book