Library / English Dictionary

COMMUNION

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of participating in the celebration of the Eucharist

Example:

the governor took Communion with the rest of the congregation

Synonyms:

Communion; Holy Communion; manduction; sacramental manduction

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("Communion" is a kind of...):

ritual (the prescribed procedure for conducting religious ceremonies)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Communion"):

intercommunion (participation in Holy Communion by members of more than one church (eg Catholic and Orthodox))

Holonyms ("Communion" is a part of...):

Eucharist; Eucharistic liturgy; Holy Eucharist; Holy Sacrament; Liturgy; Lord's Supper; sacrament of the Eucharist (a Christian sacrament commemorating the Last Supper by consecrating bread and wine)

Derivation:

commune (receive Communion, in the Catholic church)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sharing thoughts and feelings

Synonyms:

communion; sharing

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("communion" is a kind of...):

intercourse; social intercourse (communication between individuals)

Derivation:

commune (communicate intimately with; be in a state of heightened, intimate receptivity)

Sense 3

Meaning:

(Christianity) a group of Christians with a common religious faith who practice the same rites

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Hypernyms ("communion" is a kind of...):

denomination (a group of religious congregations having its own organization and a distinctive faith)

Domain category:

Christian religion; Christianity (a monotheistic system of beliefs and practices based on the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the New Testament and emphasizing the role of Jesus as savior)

Credits

 Context examples: 

I wonder what thoughts are busy in your heart during all the hours you sit in yonder room with the fine people flitting before you like shapes in a magic-lantern: just as little sympathetic communion passing between you and them as if they were really mere shadows of human forms, and not the actual substance.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)