ciborium

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ciborium a receptacle shaped like a shrine or a cup with an arched cover, used in the Christian Church for the reservation of the Eucharist. Also, a canopy over an altar in a church, standing on four pillars. Recorded from the mid 16th century, the word comes via medieval Latin from Greek kibōrion ‘seed vessel of the water lily or a cup made from it’; it is probably also influenced by Latin cibus ‘food’.

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