SANCTUS

Sanc"tus, n. Etym: [L. sanctus, p.p. of sancire.]

1. (Eccl.)

Definition: A part of the Mass, or, in Protestant churches, a part of the communion service, of which the first words in Latin are Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus [Holy, holy, holy]; -- called also Tersanctus.

2. (Mus.)

Definition: An anthem composed for these words. Sanctus bell, a small bell usually suspended in a bell cot at the apex of the nave roof, over the chancel arch, in mediæval churches, but a hand bell is now often used; -- so called because rung at the singing of the sanctus, at the conclusion of the ordinary of the Mass, and again at the elevation of the host. Called also Mass bell, sacring bell, saints' bell, sance- bell, sancte bell.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

21 June 2025

SUFFOCATION

(noun) the condition of being deprived of oxygen (as by having breathing stopped); “asphyxiation is sometimes used as a form of torture”


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Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the most massive cup of coffee contained 22,739.14 liters and was created by Alcaldía Municipal de Chinchiná (Colombia) at Parque de Bolívar, Chinchiná, Caldas, Colombia, on 15 June 2019. Fifty people worked for more than a month to build this giant cup. The drink prepared was Arabic coffee.

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