privileged altar
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
In R.C. churches this is an altar with certain indulgences attached to all Masses for the dead said at it.
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 “privileged altar” mean?
In R.C. churches this is an altar with certain indulgences attached to all Masses for the dead said at it.
Is “privileged altar” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.