benediction
/ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/
benediction means A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service). It carries an Arena rating of 1640, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, benediction ranks #2,328 of 14,438 for Most Storied Words, #2,374 of 14,451 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,574 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #2,678 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words.
benediction is pronounced /ˌbɛnəˈdɪkʃən/.
Why “benediction” is a great word
A blessing, especially a short invocation for divine help, guidance, and favor pronounced at the end of a religious service. From Middle English benediccion, from Ecclesiastical Latin benedictio, benedictionis, from benedictus ("blessed; well spoken of"), itself from bene ("well") + dicere ("to speak"). Unlike a "malediction," which speaks evil, or a "benison," which is a simpler wish for good, a benediction is a formal, performative utterance—the priest’s raised hands, the faint scent of incense clinging to woolen coats, and the quieting of a congregation into shared stillness. It is the last spoken word held suspended between the sacred and the secular, a final chord resonating before the doors open to the waiting world.
Etymology
From Middle English benediccion, from Ecclesiastical Latin benedictio, benedictionis, from benedictus (“blessed; well spoken of”). Doublet of benison.
noun
- A short invocation for help, blessing and guidance from God, said on behalf of another person or persons (sometimes at the end of a church worship service).“to pronounce / give / say the benediction”
- In the Anglican church, the ceremony used to institute an abbot, analogous to the consecration of a bishop.“What Consecration is to a Bishop, that Benediction is to an Abbot; but in a different way: For a Bishop is not properly such till Consecration; but an Abbot being elected and confirm’d, is properly such before Benediction.”
- A Roman Catholic rite by which bells, banners, candles, etc., are blessed with holy water and formally dedicated to God.“[He] later liked to attend benediction in the chapel at Brideshead and see the ladies of the family with their necks arched in devotion under their black lace mantillas; [...]”
- Help, good fortune or reward from God or another supernatural source.“[…] they throng who should buy first, as if my trinkets had been hallowed and brought a benediction to the buyer:”
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