French word

sacrement

Pronunciation

IPA/sakʁəmɑ̃/

Meaning

  • masculine nounsacrament

Example

Hier, elle a reçu le sacrement.

Yesterday, she received the sacrament.

Illustration for sacrement (sacrament)

More examples

Le sacrement suscite parfois des débats sur la laïcité.

The sacrament sometimes prompts debates about secularism.

Core concept

An official church rite joining a visible ceremony to divine grace for believers.

Similar words

cérémonie: A formal ceremony or event held in public.
baptême: The Christian rite of initiating someone through water.
mariage: A ceremony that publicly recognizes a couple's marital union.
messe: A Christian service of worship and liturgy held in a church.

Definition in French

Désigne, dans le christianisme, un rite sacré par lequel l'Église transmet la grâce divine aux croyants.

Word origin

French sacrement comes from Latin sacramentum, meaning a sacred rite or consecration, from sacrare, 'to consecrate', related to sacer, 'sacred'.

Usage tips

  • Sacrement is masculine, so the standard article is le: le sacrement and un sacrement.

Opposites

Related words

  • sacrésacredadjective
  • sacramentelsacramentaladjective

Word lists with this word