Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A long white linen robe worn by a priest or minister during church services.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A small Turkish coin, nearly equal in value to a cent.
- noun In the Roman Catholic Church (and in many Anglican churches), a white linen robe, with tight sleeves, worn at the celebration of the eucharist under the chasuble, cope, or dalmatic by the officiating priest and his assistants.
- noun In the early church, a white garment worn from the Saturday before Easter until the first Sunday after Easter by the newly baptized.
- noun Formerly also written alba, albe.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A vestment of white linen, reaching to the feet, an enveloping the person; -- in the Roman Catholic church, worn by those in holy orders when officiating at mass. It was formerly worn, at least by clerics, in daily life.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A long white
robe worn by priests and other ministers at religious ceremonies, underneath most of the othervestments .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a white linen liturgical vestment with sleeves; worn by priests
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Another use of the word alb, commonly in the plural albæ (vestes), occurs in medieval writers.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize 1840-1916 1913
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As regards the vestments themselves: the amice signifies preparation to resist the attacks of the devil; the alb is the symbol of innocence; the cincture of charity; the maniple of penance; the stole of immortality; and the chasuble of love, by which we are enabled to bear the light burden Our Lord is pleased to lay upon us.
Baltimore Catechism No. 4 (of 4) An Explanation of the Baltimore Catechism of Christian Doctrine Thomas L. Kinkead
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The celebrant is first vested with the shapik or alb, which is usually narrower than the Latin form, and usually of linen (sometimes of silk).
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 13: Revelation-Stock 1840-1916 1913
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Until the middle of the twelfth century the alb was the vestment which all clerics wore when exercising their functions, and Rupert of
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 1: Aachen-Assize 1840-1916 1913
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So the linen church vestment called an alb, which is derived from the Roman linen tunic, doesn't have to be snowy white.
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A chasuble is worn over the alb, which is a long, white linen robe.
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A dozen worshippers surround the altar on a rainy Thursday evening as The Reverend William Rich—an elaborate purple chasuble over his white alb—administers the 6:00 P.M. Holy Eucharist.
American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010
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At the beginning of the rite, the three major ministers wear amice, alb, and cincture; the priest and deacon also wear black stoles, but none of the three wears either a chasuble of any sort, nor a dalmatic or tunicle.
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In addition to the amice, alb, cincture and stole, the priest wears a black chasuble; the deacon wears a black stole, and, like the subdeacon, a black folded chasuble, the sacred vestments of penitential Masses.
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This includes altar frontals, mitres, ombrellini, chasubles, copes, and a gold embroidered alb of Pius IX.
Roman Exhibition Showcases Significant and Historical Vestments 2009
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