eucharistic

IPA/ˌjuː.kərˈɪs.tɪk/
IPA/ˌjuː.kərˈɪs.tɪk/

eucharistic — adjective

  • eucharisticpositive
  • more eucharisticcomparative
  • most eucharisticsuperlative

1. describing the bread and wine in a Christian church service that have been made

1.adjectiveC2
Definition

describing the bread and wine in a Christian church service that have been made holy through prayer, or the service itself in which they are shared among worshippers

Example

During the Sunday service, the priest blessed the eucharistic bread and wine.

collocation: eucharistic bread and wine

The Watanabe family always stays for the eucharistic prayer after receiving communion.

collocation: eucharistic prayer

Common collocations
  • eucharistic bread
  • eucharistic wine
  • eucharistic prayer
  • eucharistic service
  • eucharistic cup
  • eucharistic hymns
  • eucharistic celebration
  • eucharistic liturgy
Synonyms
  • sacramental

    broader term covering any of the Christian sacraments, not limited to the Eucharist

  • communion

    used as an adjective in phrases like 'communion bread' or 'communion service', but 'communion' also refers to the act of sharing rather than the consecrated elements

Grammar Patterns

eucharistic + noun

Usage Note

This word is used almost exclusively in Christian worship contexts. In formal liturgical writing it is often capitalised (Eucharistic). It typically appears before the noun it describes.

Common Mistakes

We attended the eucharistic on Sunday.
We attended the Eucharist on Sunday.
'Eucharistic' is an adjective; the noun form 'Eucharist' names the ceremony itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Eucharistic is the most specific of these three words, referring exclusively to the Christian sacrament of Holy Communion (the Eucharist). Sacramental is broader, covering any of the seven sacraments in Catholicism or the two sacraments in many Protestant traditions; baptismal water, for example, is sacramental but not eucharistic. Communion used as an adjective (communion bread, communion rail) is nearly interchangeable with eucharistic in everyday church language, but communion also carries the broader meaning of 'sharing' or 'fellowship.' Liturgical is the widest term, covering all elements of public worship — hymns, readings, vestments, and gestures — not just the Eucharist. For example: 'the eucharistic prayer' (specific to the Communion service) versus 'the liturgical calendar' (covering the whole church year).

sacramental ↗communion ↗liturgical ↗

Etymology

GreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Eucharistic comes from the Greek word 'eucharistia' (εὐχαριστία), meaning 'thanksgiving' — a reference to Jesus giving thanks at the Last Supper. The word travelled through Latin into French before entering English in the 14th century, where it has been used ever since to describe anything connected with the Christian ceremony of Holy Communion.

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1