• n. 祭壇；圣壇；圣餐臺
• n. (Altar)人名；(法、塞、羅)阿爾塔

詞根al, 滋養。此處用于宗教義，指祭祀神靈。同時，受詞根alt強化，alt, 高。

altar

altar: [OE] The etymological notion underlying the word altar is that of sacrificial burning. Latin altar, which was borrowed directly into Old English, was a derivative of the plural noun altāria, ‘burnt offerings’, which probably came from the verb adolēre ‘burn up’. Adolēre in turn appears to be a derivative of olēre ‘smell’ (the connection being the smell made by combustion), which is related to English odour, olfactory, and redolent. (The traditional view that altar derives from Latin altus ‘high’ is no longer generally accepted, although no doubt it played a part, by association, in its development.) In Middle English, the Old French form auter replaced altar, but in the 16th century the Latin form re-established itself.
=> odour, olfactory, redolent

altar (n.)

Old English alter, altar, from Latin altare (plural altaria) "high altar, altar for sacrifice to the great gods," perhaps originally meaning "burnt offerings" (compare Latin adolere "to worship, to offer sacrifice, to honor by burning sacrifices to"), but influenced by Latin altus "high." In Middle English, often auter, from Old French auter. Reintroduced from Latin 1500s. As a symbol of marriage, by 1820.

1. Matilda was embroidering an altar cloth covered with flowers and birds.

瑪蒂爾達在一塊有花鳥圖案的祭壇布上刺繡。

來自柯林斯例句

2. The altar was flanked by two Christmas trees.

圣壇兩側是兩棵圣誕樹。

來自柯林斯例句

3. The vicar took a candlestick from the altar.

牧師從圣餐臺上拿起一座燭臺.

來自《簡明英漢詞典》

4. Pope John Paul II knelt in his white robes before the simple altar.

教皇約翰·保羅二世身著白色長袍在簡樸的圣壇前面跪下來。

來自柯林斯例句

5. The coffin lying before the altar was bare, except for a single wreath of white roses.

祭臺前的棺木上除了僅有的一個白玫瑰花圈外，沒有其他任何裝飾。

來自柯林斯例句