altar stone

noun

: a stone slab with a compartment containing the relics of martyrs that forms an essential part of a Roman Catholic altar

Examples of altar stone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
What, in particular, made the altar stone special is unclear. Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Aug. 2024 The central six-ton altar stone at Stonehenge may have come from more than 450 miles away, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Nature. Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 16 Aug. 2024 Kirkland and his fellow researchers examined three ways the altar stone could have traveled from Scotland to Stonehenge. Evan Bush, NBC News, 14 Aug. 2024 Unlike the English monument, Maryhill’s altar stone is positioned in line with the astronomical horizon instead of the midsummer sunrise – resulting in a three-degree difference from the original. oregonlive, 23 Sep. 2021 And on a famous altar stone from the site of Sak Nikte’, also in modern-day Guatemala, a queen known as Ix Naah Ek’ wore the helmet of the Maya god of war and stood atop a large battle palanquin, or platform, the size of a Macy’s parade float. Shannon Palus, Discover Magazine, 3 Feb. 2014

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of altar stone was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near altar stone

Cite this Entry

“Altar stone.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/altar%20stone. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!