rantistirion

ran·tis·tir·i·on
R1A1N1T1I1S1T1I1R1I1O1N1
UK/ɹæn.tɪsˈtɪ.ɹi.ɒn/UK/-dɪs-/UK/-ən/US/ɹæn.tisˈti.ɹi.ɑn/

noun

A ritual sprinkler used in some Christian rites.

Scrabble 12

Meanings

nounrantistirion (plural not attested)

alternative randistirion

  1. no pluralEastern OrthodoxyA ritual sprinkler used in some Christian rites.

    Archbishop Demetrios joined Deacon Eleftherios Constantine and Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos in chanting "Feast of the Cross." The Archbishop then sanctified this steel cross with water poured from a golden sprinkler or rantistirion.

    2016 November 30, Nathan Glover, “Christian cross tops Saint Nicholas National Shrine at World Trade Center”, in World Religion News, archived from the original on 02 Dec 2016
    3 more examples

    The Kastrinsios was charged with military duties and was responsible for a military unit (similar to that of a captain of the guard). When the Office became ecclesiastical in nature it was charged with the storage and safe keeping of ecclesiastical supplies and assisted in the vesting of the hierarchs. He would also bestow the divine blessing upon the congregation by sprinkling from the randistirion, and proclaim the arrival of His All Holiness the Patriarch with, "Evlogison Thespota" (Master Give The Blessing).

    2001, Aspasia Smith, editor, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, millennium edition, New York, N.Y.: Order of St. Andrew the Apostle, →OCLC, page 72

    The priest stands in front of the Kouvouklion throughout the Encomia. At the Third Stasis when the verse "Eranan ton Tafon ai miroforoi mira lian proi elthousai – early in the morning the myrrh-bearers came to Thee and sprinkled myrrh upon Thy tomb" is sung the priest sprinkles the Epitaphios with rosewater, using the rantistirion (sprinkler).

    [2003], Alkiviadis Calivas, “Great and Holy Saturday”, in Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, archived from the original on 23 May 2017

    After joining with Archdeacon Panteleimon Papadopoulos and Deacon Eleftherios Constantine in chanting the "Feast of the Cross" – "The cross is the glory of the angels, and the defeat of the demons" – Archbishop Demetrios sanctified the steel cross with water from a golden rantistirion, or sprinkler.

    2016 November 29, David W. Dunlap, “Cross takes its place, temporarily, atop shrine at World Trade Center”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 11 Jul 2017

    Synonyms: aspergillum

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA ritual sprinkler used in some Christian rites.

Also see

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weri
  2. Medieval Greekῥαντιστήριον
  3. Englishrantistirion

Borrowed from Medieval Greek ῥαντιστήριον (rhantistḗrion), from ῥαντίζω (rhantízō) (a late form of ῥαίνω (rhaínō, “to sprinkle, purify”), from Proto-Indo-European *weri) + -ῐον (-ĭon, “suffix forming diminutive nouns”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek ῥαντιστήριον
  • ῥαντιστήριον (rhantistḗrion)ritual sprinkler used in some Christian rites
Cite this entry
APA

rantistirion. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rantistirion

MLA

“rantistirion.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rantistirion. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “rantistirion,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/rantistirion.

Source: rantistirion on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.