Communion

How to spell communion

9 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce communion

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does communion mean?

1. nounThe Christian sacrament in which consecrated bread and wine are shared, commemorating the Last Supper.
2. nounA deep sense of sharing or intimate fellowship between people or with something larger than oneself.

Communion in a sentence

• The priest offered communion to the congregation after the sermon.

• Hiking alone in the hills gave him a quiet sense of communion with nature.

• She received her first communion at the age of eight.

• The long conversation created a rare communion between the two old friends.

Where does communion come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word descends from the Latin communio, which meant 'mutual participation' or 'a sharing in common'. That noun was built on communis, meaning 'common' or 'shared by all', itself from com- 'together' and the root munis 'bound by obligation or ready to give'. English took the word in through Old French during the 1300s, and it was quickly adopted by the Church to name the Christian rite in which believers share consecrated bread and wine, the sense in which it is still most familiar today. The same communis root sits behind everyday relatives such as 'common', 'community', and 'communicate', all carrying the idea of something held or done together. Knowing that the middle of the word is the 'mun' of 'community' helps fix the single 'm' there and the unstressed vowel before the '-ion' ending.

How the word is built

• com- (together)
• mun (from munis: bound, sharing, duty)
• -ion (noun-forming suffix)