adjective / noun

sacramental

sak-ruh-MENT-l/ˌsækrəˈmentl/

Associated with sacred Christian rites.

The priest offers the wafer during a sacramental act of Communion.

A Christian priest places a Communion wafer into a woman's open palm beside a chalice, making the relationship to a sacred Christian rite concrete and recognizable.

Etymology

sacraLatinto consecrate

+mentLatinresult or means

+alLatinrelating to

The consecration-based noun came to name a Christian rite understood as an outward sign of inward grace. The adjective ending makes sacramental describe what belongs to, or constitutes, such a rite.

In context

Rex Gloriae21:20

we as Christians have a sacramental worldview so we need signs symbols sacraments to point us to the invisible reality

Jesus our High Priest, Mary & the Veil, Rood Screens & Iconostasis

More examples

The church prepares children for sacramental rites such as Communion.
In Catholic practice, holy water is a sacramental.
Catholics use sacramentals such as rosaries to support prayer.

Forms

sacramental · sacramentals

sacrament noun — A sacred rite in the Christian church.

Similar words

sacred: Means holy or religious, without necessarily involving a rite.
liturgical: Relates to organized public worship, rather than sacraments specifically.