words of institution

proper noun

The pronouncements “This is my body” and “This is my blood”, said by the celebrants at the climax of most eucharistic liturgies and held by many churches to be essential to the performance of the rite.

OriginEcclesiastical Latin verba īnstitūtiōnis →
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Meanings

words of institution1

proper nounthe words of institution pl (plural only)

alternative Words of Institution

  1. pluralplural onlyChristianityThe pronouncements “This is my body” and “This is my blood”, said by the celebrants at the climax of most eucharistic liturgies and held by many churches to be essential to the performance of the rite.

Words of Institution2

proper nounthe Words of Institution pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlyAlternative letter-case form of words of institution.

Origin

  1. Ecclesiastical Latinverba īnstitūtiōnis
  2. Englishwords of institution

Calque of Ecclesiastical Latin verba īnstitūtiōnis, i.e. the words by which Jesus instituted, or established, the sacrament.

More words from Ecclesiastical Latin

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

words of institution. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/words%20of%20institution

MLA

“words of institution.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/words%20of%20institution. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “words of institution,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/words%20of%20institution.

Source: words of institution on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.