host is carried to sick people
Preserved but no longer current.
In pre-Reforma- tion England it was a vessel, often in the shape of a dove, suspended above the altar, in which the sacrament was reserved. Only in the churches of Amiens and Valloires is such a pyx now permitted.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “host is carried to sick people” mean?
In pre-Reforma- tion England it was a vessel, often in the shape of a dove, suspended above the altar, in which the sacrament was reserved. Only in the churches of Amiens and Valloires is such a pyx now permitted.
Is “host is carried to sick people” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.