Historical Practices

noun a public announcement, especially in church, of an intended marriage

• The couple posted their banns in the local newspaper before their wedding.
• Have you heard if they've put up the banns yet?
• I heard they're finally gonna drop the banns next week.
• The banns of their partnership were evident in the way they worked together seamlessly.

noun the act of treating someone or something as a god or as divine

• The deification of the emperor was a common practice in ancient Rome.
• Some people believe in the deification of celebrities.
• Stop with the deification of that singer, they're just a regular person.
• The deification of technology has led to a dependency on devices in modern society.

noun something offered in worship or devotion

• The priest offered the oblation during the morning service.
• I saw the oblation being given at church last Sunday.
• Some people think the oblation is just a fancy word for donation.
• Her oblation of time and effort to the cause was truly admirable.

noun a coarse, rough fabric typically made of goat's hair and used for making sacks

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

• After committing the grave mistake, he wore sackcloth and ashes as a sign of repentance.
• She was in sackcloth and ashes after failing her exam.
• He was in sackcloth and ashes when he realized he forgot his girlfriend's birthday.
• The company was in sackcloth and ashes after the scandal was exposed.

noun a confession, especially to a priest

verb None

adjective None

adverb None

pronoun None

preposition None

conjunction None

interjection None

article None

• After committing the crime, the suspect requested a shrift from the priest.
• I need to get a shrift from my boss before taking the day off.
• I better get a shrift from my parents before going out tonight.
• The team knew they had to give a shrift to their performance after losing the game.

verb to hear the confession of, assign penance to, and absolve (someone)

• The priest was called upon to shrive the dying man before he passed away.
• I need to shrive my sins before Sunday's church service.
• I'm going to shrive myself before heading out to the party.
• She felt the need to shrive herself of guilt before moving on with her life.

noun a humble request, prayer, or petition

• The monk knelt in supplication, praying for peace and enlightenment.
• She whispered a quick supplication before blowing out the birthday candles.
• I threw up a supplication to the universe, hoping for some good luck.
• His supplication for forgiveness fell on deaf ears as she refused to forgive him.

noun excessive or ingratiating flattery

• The priest administered the sacrament of unction to the sick parishioner.
• I heard that the new lotion has a special unction that makes your skin really soft.
• I don't trust those snake oil salesmen with their unctions and potions.
• Her words had a soothing unction, calming everyone in the room.

noun the activity of searching for items of interest along the banks of rivers or other bodies of water

verb to engage in the activity of mudlarking

• Mudlarking is a popular activity among archaeologists and historians for uncovering artifacts along riverbanks.
• My friend and I love going mudlarking on the weekends to see what treasures we can find.
• Mudlarking is like a real-life treasure hunt in the mud!
• Sometimes navigating through life feels like mudlarking, searching for hidden gems amidst the mess.

verb to curse or condemn someone or something as accursed or evil

• The church leaders decided to anathematize anyone who did not adhere to the strict doctrine.
• The group of friends jokingly anathematized anyone who arrived late to their weekly gatherings.
• The online community quickly anathematized the controversial post that was shared.
• The artist felt like society was trying to anathematize their unique style of painting.

noun a cleansing of the body, especially as a religious rite

• Before entering the sacred temple, the devotees performed their ablutions in the designated area.
• Don't forget to do your ablutions before dinner, it's important to keep clean.
• I'll be back in a sec, just need to do my ablutions real quick.
• She felt like she needed to cleanse her soul, so she performed her own version of ablutions by meditating in nature.