Oblacioun

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The act of presenting a gift or sacrifice to God or a church ; the bread, wine or other goods given up in worship
2. Making an offering or sacrifice in devotion to the divine ; the bread, wine or other gifts presented at a religious rite
3. A ritual presentation of a sacred gift to a deity or church ; the offering itself, such as bread and wine set apart for worship

Etymology: "Oblacioun" is a Middle English spelling of "oblation," an offering made to God, especially bread and wine placed on the altar in the Eucharist. It came into English in the 14th century, borrowed from Old French "oblacion," which in turn came from Latin "oblatio," meaning an offering or a presenting. The Latin noun is built from "ob-," meaning "toward" or "before," and "latus," the past participle of "ferre," meaning "to bear" or "to carry." Literally, an oblation is something carried up or brought forward. The Latin root gave English a family of related words that moved away from religion. "Oblate," meaning a person dedicated to religious service, and "oblation" in its older sense of a gift presented to a church or a lord, both descend from the same source. The sense of carrying something toward an authority is what connects a loaf on an altar with the gifts once brought to a feudal superior.