Sacristia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A space within a church used for storing sacred vessels and religious items
2. a room designated for the preparation of liturgical activities
3. an area often utilized for vestments and other ceremonial attire associated with worship

Etymology: Sacristia is the Spanish and Portuguese word for the room in a church where vestments, sacred vessels and liturgical objects are kept, and it comes from Medieval Latin "sacristia", a variant of "sacristia" (sacristy) built on "sacer", meaning holy. The Latin form was itself derived from "sacrista", the officer in charge of the sacred objects, so the room was named after the person who looked after it. The sense of the Latin root shows in the Spanish and Portuguese pair: "sacristán" in Spanish names the church sexton or sacristan, the man who keeps the church running day to day, while "sacristía" names the room he works in. English took the same Latin root as "sacristy", so the two languages share a word with the same underlying meaning of a holy-object store.

Synonyms: sacristy, vestry