oblation

o•bla•tion (o-BLEY-shuhn)  n

Definition:
1. the act of offering something, such as worship or thanks, to a deity
2. a charitable offering or gift
3. the offering of the bread and wine of the Eucharist to God

oblatory, oblational adjectiveb
Origin:
1375–1425; from O.Fr. oblation "offering, sacrifice," from L. oblationem (nom. oblatio) "an offering, presenting, gift," in L.L. "sacrifice," from L. oblatus variant pp. of L. offerre "to offer, to bring before" (latus "carried, borne" used as suppletive pp. of ferre "to bear"), from *tlatos, from PIE base *tel-, *tol- "to bear, carry"

Related:
Synonyms: offering
Related Words: offertory, oblate

Sentence Examples:
• Through the air he flies looking down upon all beings: with the majesty of the heavenly dog, with that oblation would we pay homage to thee. -Cerberus, The Dog of Hades, Maurice Bloomfield

• Often they are very fine; but always they are the work of priests, artists in ritual. And if you look heedfully into it you will also mark that these priests are inclined to think that the act of sacrifice, the offering of, say, certain oblations in a particular manner with particular words accompanying them, is in itself potent, quite apart from the psalms which they sing over it, that it has a magic power of its own over the machinery of nature. -Hindu Gods And Heroes, Lionel D.  Barnett

• Again, their insinuations that in the mass Christ is not offered must be altogether rejected, as condemned of old and excluded by the faithful. For Augustine says this was a very ancient heresy of the Arians, who denied that in the mass an oblation was made for the living and the dead. -The Confutatio Pontificia, Anonymous

Sources: Free Dictionary, Online Etymology

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