Word of the Day : January 3, 2018

sacerdotal \sass-er-DOH-tul\ adjective

Definition

1 : of or relating to priests or a priesthood : priestly

2 : of, relating to, or suggesting religious belief emphasizing the powers of priests as essential mediators between God and humankind

Did You Know?

Sacerdotal is one of a host of English words derived from the Latin adjective sacer, meaning "sacred." Other words derived from sacer include desecrate, sacrifice, sacrilege, consecrate, sacrament, and even execrable (developed from the Latin word exsecrari, meaning "to put under a curse"). One surprising sacer descendant is sacrum, referring to the series of five vertebrae in the lower back connected to the pelvis. In Latin this bone was called the os sacrum, or "holy bone," a translation of the Greek hieron osteon.

Learn a new word every day, delivered to your inbox!

Test Your Vocabulary



  Pass the Little Ribbons: A Pasta Word Quiz






    Match the pasta to its meaning in English: Rotelle




                                  little balls
                                  little wheels
                                  little flowers
                                  little hoops







    Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
    TAKE THE QUIZ





    Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
    TAKE THE QUIZ

Aired January 3, 2018

All Merriam-Webster content is available at www.merriam-webster.com