altar

Etymology

From Middle English alter, from Old English alter, altar (“altar”), taken from Latin altare (“altar”), probably related to adolere (“burn”); thus "burning place", influenced by altus (“high”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɔːl.tə/, /ˈɒl.tə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɔl.tɚ/, /ˈɑl.tɚ/
• (Canada) IPA^(key): /ˈɑl.tɚ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːltə(ɹ)
• Homophone: alter
• Hyphenation: al‧tar

Noun

altar (plural altars)

1. A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.
2. (informal) A raised area around an altar in a church; the sanctuary.
3. (figuratively) Anything that is worshipped or sacrificed to.
   • 2000, Alain Renaut, ‎M. B. De Bevoise, Era of the Individual: A Contribution to a History of Subjectivity

     […] now marking the end of ascetic rationalism, the monadology no longer implied a sacrifice of individuality on the altar of rationality.

Anagrams

• artal, talar

Etymology

From Old Occitan, from Latin altāre.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /əlˈta/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /alˈtaɾ/
• Rhymes: -a(ɾ)

Noun

altar m (plural altars)

1. altar

Noun

altar m (plural [please provide])

1. altar

References

• “altar” in Umberto Martello Martalar, Alfonso Bellotto, Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Setti Communi vicentini, 1st edition, 1974.

Etymology

From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Latin altare (“altar”), cognates with Danish alter (“altar”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal̥.taɹ/

Noun

altar n (genitive singular altars, plural altar)

1. altar

Etymology

From Old Portuguese altar, from Latin altāre.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /alˈtaɾ/

Noun

altar m (plural altares)

1. altar
   • 1370, Ramón Lorenzo (ed.), Crónica troiana. A Coruña: Fundación Barrié, page 660:

     et talloulle a cabeça dentro ẽno tẽplo, ante o altar.

     and he cut his head, inside in the temple, before the altar.

References

• “altar” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “altar” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “altar” in Santamarina, Antón (coord.): Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin altāre, through Dutch altaar.

Noun

altar

1. altar

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈal̪ˠt̪ˠəɾˠ]

Verb

altar

1. present indicative autonomous of alt
2. imperative autonomous of alt
3. present subjunctive autonomous of alt

Mutation

Alternative forms

• altāre
• altārium

Etymology

Found mainly in post-Classical Latin. In Classical Latin, used mostly in plural form altaria. Ultimately from adolere and influenced by altus. See also other forms altāre and altārium.

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈal.tar/, [ˈaɫ.tar]

Noun

altar n (genitive altāris); third declension

1. altar (for burnt offerings)

References

• altar in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• altar in The Perseus Project (1999) Perseus Encyclopedia‎

Noun

altar m (plural altaryn)

1. (religion) altar

Etymology 1

Ultimately from Latin altar, probably through late Old Norse altari and Old Saxon altari.

Etymology 2

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *aldrą, whence also Old English ealdor, Old Norse aldr.

Noun

altar n

1. age

Etymology

From Latin altāre (“altar for burnt offerings”). Cf. also outeiro.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /al.ˈtaɾ/

Noun

altar m (plural altares)

1. altar (flat structure used for religious rites)
   • 13th century, attributed to Alfonso X of Castile, Cantigas de Santa Maria, E codex, cantiga 7 (facsimile):

     Eſta e como ſanta Maria liurou a Abadeſſa prenne q̇ adormecera anto ſeu Altar chorando.

     This one is about how Holy Mary acquitted the pregnant abbess who had fallen asleep crying in front of her altar.

Etymology

From Old Portuguese altar, from Latin altāre (“altar for burnt offerings”). Cf. also outeiro.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /aɫ.ˈtaɾ/
• (Paulista) IPA^(key): /aw.ˈtaɾ/, /aw.ˈtaɹ/
• (South Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.ˈtaɾ/, /aw.ˈtaɻ/

Noun

altar m (plural altares)

1. altar (flat structure used for religious rites)

Alternative forms

• altariu (dated, rare)

Etymology

From Latin altārium or altār, with the plural deriving from altāria. Compare oltar, a rare and dated variant which derives from the same source via a Slavic intermediary.

Noun

altar n (plural altare)

1. altar
2. communion table
3. chancel
4. shrine, sanctuary

Etymology

From Old Spanish altar (attested as far back as the Cantar de Mio Cid^[1]), from Latin altāre. See also otero.

Noun

altar m (plural altares)

1. altar
2. Stone that separates the firebox from the hearth in reverberatory furnaces

References