Oblational

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to something that involves or relates to a religious or ceremonial offering or gift
2. Connected with the act of presenting a sacred or devotional gift in a ceremonial context
3. Describing an attribute or quality associated with the giving of offerings, often in a spiritual or ritual setting

Etymology: "Oblational" is a plain English adjective built from "oblation" with the suffix "-al", which turns a noun into an adjective meaning "relating to" or "of the nature of." The noun "oblation" is the older and more interesting part: it comes from Latin "oblatio", a noun from "offerre", "to offer" or "to bring before," built from "ob" ("before, toward") and "ferre" ("to bear, carry"). So the core idea is literally carrying something toward someone. The suffix has a longer journey than the word itself. The "-al" ending descends from Latin "-ālis", which passed into Old French as "-al" or "-el" and then into Middle English as "-al," where it became a productive way to make adjectives from nouns. English speakers have used it so freely that it attaches to words from nearly every source, and "oblational" is one of its many straightforward products.

Synonyms: sacrificial, offering, donative, contributory, beneficial