altar

== English == === Etymology === Inherited from Middle English auter, inherited from Old English altar and borrowed from Old French auter, both derived from Latin altāre, probably related to adolere (“burn”); thus "burning place", influenced by altus (“high”). Displaced native Middle English wēved. === Pronunciation === enPR: ôl′tər (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈɒl.tə/, /ˈɔːl.tə/ (General American) IPA(key): /ˈɔl.tɚ/ (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ˈɑl.tɚ/ Rhymes: -ɒltə(ɹ), -ɔːltə(ɹ) Homophone: alter Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar (plural altars) A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites. (informal) A raised area around an altar in a church; the sanctuary. (figurative) Any (real or notional) place where something is worshipped or sacrificed to. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== → Māori: āta ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “altar”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. === Anagrams === artal, ratal, talar == Albanian == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtaɾ/ Rhymes: -aɾ Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altár m altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “altar”, in FGJSH: Fjalor i gjuhës shqipe [Dictionary of the Albanian language] (in Albanian), 2006 FGJSSH: Fjalor i gjuhës së sotme shqipe [Dictionary of the modern Albanian language]‎[3], 1980 Newmark, Leonard (1999), “altar”, in Oxford Albanian-English Dictionary‎[4] == Catalan == === Etymology === Inherited from Latin altāre. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): (Central, Balearic) [əlˈta] IPA(key): (Valencia) [alˈtaɾ] Rhymes: -a(ɾ) Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altars) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) === References === === Further reading === “altar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026 “altar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua. “altar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962. == Chavacano == === Etymology === Inherited from Spanish altar. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtaɾ/, [al̪ˈt̪aɾ] Rhymes: -aɾ Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altár altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) == Cimbrian == === Etymology === From Middle High German alter, altære, from Old High German altāri, from Latin altāre. Cognate with German Altar. === Noun === altar m (uncountable) (Sette Comuni) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) === References === “altar” in Martalar, Umberto Martello; Bellotto, Alfonso (1974), Dizionario della lingua Cimbra dei Sette Communi vicentini, 1st edition, Roana, Italy: Instituto di Cultura Cimbra A. Dal Pozzo == Estonian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Latin altāre. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈɑltɑr/, [ˈɑltɑr] Rhymes: -ɑltɑr Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar (genitive altari, partitive altarit) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) Synonym: altarilaud ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “altar”, in [EKSS] Eesti keele seletav sõnaraamat [Descriptive Dictionary of the Estonian Language] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2009 “altar”, in [ÕS] Eesti õigekeelsussõnaraamat ÕS 2018 [Estonian Spelling Dictionary] (in Estonian) (online version), Tallinn: Eesti Keele Sihtasutus (Estonian Language Foundation), 2018, →ISBN altar in Sõnaveeb (Eesti Keele Instituut) == Faroese == === Etymology === From Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, from Latin altare (“altar”), cognate with Danish alter (“altar”). === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈal̥.taɹ/ Rhymes: -al̥taɹ Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar n (genitive singular altars, plural altar) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) ==== Declension ==== == Galician == === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese altar (13th century, Cantigas de Santa Maria), from Latin altāre. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtaɾ/ [ɑl̪ˈt̪aɾ] Rhymes: -aɾ Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altares) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) Synonym: ara ==== Derived terms ==== altar maior === References === Seoane, Ernesto Xosé González; Granja, María Álvarez de la; Agrelo, Ana Isabel Boullón (2006–2022), “altar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval [Dictionary of dictionaries of Medieval Galician] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, editor (2006–2013), “altar”, in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega [Dictionary of Dictionaries of the Galician language] (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega Antón Luís Santamarina Fernández, Ernesto Xosé González Seoane, María Álvarez de la Granja, editors (2003–2018), “altar”, in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega (in Galician), Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega == Indonesian == === Etymology === Borrowed from Dutch altaar, from Latin altāre. === Pronunciation === (Standard Indonesian) IPA(key): /ˈaltar/ [ˈal.t̪ar] Rhymes: -altar Syllabification: al‧tar === Noun === altar (plural altar-altar) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) mazbah (sacrificial place) (nautical term) a ladder on a ship's dock used to get up and down to and from the dock floor === Further reading === “altar”, in Kamus Besar Bahasa Indonesia [Great Dictionary of the Indonesian Language] (in Indonesian), Jakarta: Agency for Language Development and Cultivation – Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia, 2016 == Irish == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈal̪ˠ.t̪ˠəɾˠ] === Verb === altar present indicative autonomous of alt imperative autonomous of alt present subjunctive autonomous of alt === Mutation === == Latin == === Pronunciation === (Classical Latin) IPA(key): [ˈaɫ.tar] (modern Italianate Ecclesiastical) IPA(key): [ˈal.tar] Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar n (genitive altāris); third declension alternative form of altāre (“altar”) (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) ==== Usage notes ==== In pre-Classical and Classical Latin, this noun only occurs in the plural as a plurale tantum. ==== Declension ==== Third-declension noun (neuter, pure i-stem). ==== Descendants ==== See altāre. === References === “altar”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press “altar”, in The Perseus Project (1999), Perseus Encyclopedia‎[5] == Lombard == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtɑːr/ (Milanese) Rhymes: -ɑːr Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altar) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) == Manx == === Noun === altar m (plural altaryn) (religion) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) == Norwegian Bokmål == === Noun === altar n form removed by a 1984 spelling decision; superseded by alter: altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) == Norwegian Nynorsk == === Etymology 1 === From late Old Norse altari, from Old Saxon altari, itself taken from Latin altāre (“altar”). ==== Alternative forms ==== alter altari (dialectal) ==== Noun ==== altar n (definite singular altaret, indefinite plural altar, definite plural altara) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) === Etymology 2 === See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form. ==== Noun ==== altar m indefinite plural of alt === References === “altar” in The Nynorsk Dictionary. == Old Galician-Portuguese == === Etymology === From Latin altāre (“altar for burnt offerings”). Cf. also outeiro. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtaɾ/ Rhymes: -aɾ Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altares) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) Eſta e como ſanta Maria liurou a Abadeſſa prenne q̇ adormecera anto ſeu Altar chorando. This one is about how Holy Mary acquitted the pregnant abbess who had fallen asleep crying in front of her altar. ==== Descendants ==== Galician: altar Portuguese: altar == Old High German == === Etymology === From Proto-Germanic *aldrą, whence also Old English ealdor, Old Norse aldr. === Noun === altar n age ==== Derived terms ==== gialtar ==== Descendants ==== Middle High German: alter Alemannic German: Altar Bavarian: Ålter, Oiter German: Alter, Alda, Alla→ Luxembourgish: Alter Yiddish: אַלטער (alter) == Portuguese == === Etymology === From Old Galician-Portuguese altar, from Latin altāre (“altar for burnt offerings”). Cf. also Portuguese outeiro. === Pronunciation === Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altares) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) === Further reading === “altar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “altar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Alternative forms === altariu — dated, rare === Etymology === Inherited from Latin altārium or altār, with the plural deriving from altāria. Compare oltar, a rare and dated variant which derives from the same source via a Slavic intermediary. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtar/ Rhymes: -ar Hyphenation: al‧tar === Noun === altar n (plural altare) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) Synonym: pristol communion table chancel shrine, sanctuary Synonym: sanctuar ==== Declension ==== === Further reading === “altar”, in DEX online—Dicționare ale limbii române (Dictionaries of the Romanian language) (in Romanian), 2004–2026 == Spanish == === Etymology === Inherited from Old Spanish altar (attested as far back as the Cantar de Mio Cid), from Latin altāre. See also otero. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /alˈtaɾ/ [al̪ˈt̪aɾ] Rhymes: -aɾ Syllabification: al‧tar === Noun === altar m (plural altares) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) stone that separates the firebox from the hearth in reverberatory furnaces ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Descendants ==== Chavacano: altar === References === === Further reading === “altar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 == Tagalog == === Alternative forms === antal, artal — obsolete === Etymology === Borrowed from Spanish altar, from Old Spanish altar, from Latin altāre. Doublet of alta. === Pronunciation === (Standard Tagalog) IPA(key): /ʔalˈtaɾ/ [ʔɐlˈt̪aɾ] Rhymes: -aɾ Syllabification: al‧tar === Noun === altár (Baybayin spelling ᜀᜎ᜔ᜆᜇ᜔) altar (flat-topped structure used for religious rites) Synonyms: dalanginan, dambana, alta ==== Related terms ==== === Further reading === “altar”, in Pambansang Diksiyonaryo | Diksiyonaryo.ph, 2018 San Buena Ventura, Fr. Pedro de (1613), Vocabulario de lengua tagala. El romance castellano puesto primero. Primera, y segunda parte.‎[6] (overall work in Early Modern Spanish and Classical Tagalog), as directed by Gov. Gen. Juan de Silva, Pila, Laguna: La noble Villa de Pila, por Tomás Pinpin y Domingo Loag., page 47: “Altar) Altar (pc) C. de Igleſia v de otro lugar” Cuadrado Muñiz, Adolfo (1972), Hispanismos en el tagalo: diccionario de vocablos de origen español vigentes en esta lengua filipina, Madrid: Oficina de Educación Iberoamericana, page 27