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Monastic Life

Absolvent - Absolved

Acolyte - The one who accompanies, who helps. Person ecclesiastically graduated with that order name.

Alb - an ecclesiastical white cloth garment.
Amender - Corrector; who amends

Amice - White veil worn by priests around the shoulders under the alb.
Arrátel - Old Portuguese unit of weight equivalent to one pound (459 grams)
Aspergillum - Little wood rod with hairs at the end, or a metal rod with a sphere full of orifices at the end, used in church for holy water sprinkling

Asperses - Holy water aspersion. When sprinkling holy water at religious services. Anthem sang before Mass when sprinkling holy water.
Auxiliary - Who helps, who aids.

Calefactory - Heating; warming up.

Chest keeper - Treasurer in charge of the coffers

Bentinho - a white wool cloth apparel used by monks with their habit as a symbol of obedience to the Master and the rule.

Boceta - Small wood or card box.

Brandão - Torch, big wax candle.

Breve - Papal letter or re-script containing a statement or resolution of no general interest to the Church. Music note worth two semibreve notes

Buffet - Sideboard. Table where objects needed for a function are placed

Caceta - Riddled vase

Calceário - Responsible for shoe making and supplying

Calefactory - Device to boil foodstuffs with fuel savings; Heating device; Heating room

Calends - the first day of each month

Camouço - over measure; surplus.

Canopy - portable cover on rods used in processions

Capula - Cup (latin)

Cartulary - Deeds clerk; archivist

Cercilho - Crown, large and round tonsure used by monks

Cerieiro - Wax worker

Chasuble - Priest vest worn over the alb and stole.

Cisco - Coal dust or sweepings; rubbish

Clamourer - Crier

Claustra - Cloisters

Cleat - Monk´s hood

Cogulo - Portion that overspills the measure

Colação - Light meal

Compline - Religious Liturgy Late Hours prayed after the nightfall meal.

Corporal - White linen upon which the chalice and paten are placed during mass.

Cote - Clothing

Credence -Small side table where the cruets and other Mass tools are placed near the altar. Table upon where in old basilicas the offerings from faithful were placed

Dalmatic - Clerical vestments worn over the alb by deacons and sub-deacons.

Domário - Priest celebrating mass for a deceased person and directing prayers at such religious service

Domairaria - Those dealing with religious services for the dead

Dominga - Sunday in ecclesiastical language

Eça - Cenotaph, honours tomb

Endoenças - Pains and torments suffered by the martyrs of Jesus.

Enramar - Covering, ornamenting with branches

Esteirão - Thick needle grass mat

Ferial - Non-festive

Garment - Vest; dress

Gradual - Verse sung after the Epistle at Mass

Gualdrapa - Mantle placed on the saddle when horse-riding on socks

Habit - Monk´s large hooded gown. Tunic

Invitatorium - Verse at the start of Matins.

Knuckle - Bones joint. Phalanx

Laudability - Quality of what is worthy of praising

Lauds - Laudations

Lavabo - Act of washing; Purification; Water drank by Catholics after communion

Lavadura - Dish washing waters

Lucernário - Night office service celebrated by lamp lighting

Lucerne - Lamp

Maniple - Sort of short stole of the priest when celebrating Mass

Martyrology - List or catalogue of martyrs

Ministra - Turn-box set used to move food from a convent kitchen to the refectory

Matins - First part of dawn religious prayers by priests. Also called Vigils or night office prayed or sung at night on the eve of great feasts, specially at Christmas

Muleteer - Occupation of transporting animal loads pack. Mule-driver or goods and baggage bearer

None - Hour of religious office service

Octave - Eight day period in church celebrations

Olanda - Fine white linen

Pallium - Coloured collar shaped vest used by canons over the surplice. Archbishop´s pontifical insignia

Paten - Metal plate, slightly convex, where to place the host consecrated at mass.

Penitential - Penance. Who imposes penance on or punishes the sinner. Priest or monk hearing confessions in certain churches or chapels.

Pitcher - Vessel for taking wine out of casks or vats; Small jug; Old small vase, generally tin made, to drink wine

Pitcher - Jug for washing hands

Plaino - Plain

Planeta - Chasuble.

Pluvial - Cape for asperges.

Pontifical - Lengthy cape used at celebration of some religious ceremonies. Book containing the rites to be performed by pontiffs or Bishops

Prime - Canon law hour corresponding to 6 o´clock in the morning

Processional - in procession

Processionals - Book with prayers for processions

Proem - Foreword, preface

Propinquo - Near

Propinquity - Proximity

Propínqua - Close, neighbour, kinsfolk

Psalm - Chants of praise to Lord

Psalter - Book of Psalms

Quiet - Still; Motionless; Calm; Slow

Quitting - Quits; Freeing from obligation; To be relieved from doing something; To leave

Scapular - Cloth band used over the shoulders and falling over the chest by friars of some Orders. Bentinho.

Scoop - Earthenware or metal sink; basin for clearings or washing hands.

Sloping - Concealed, hidden

Stole - Silk strip widening at the ends that priests place on the shoulders between the alb and the chasuble or over the surplice.

Stool - Lengthy and large movable stool that can also become a box with cover and seating. Small foot resting stool

Strickle - Anything that levels through scraping or grating; Everything that levels; Act of hair short cutting or knife rasping.

Refection - Having a meal

Refeitoreiro - Refectory caretaker

Rogations - Public prayers; Litanies

Sanguinho - Cloth used by priest to clean the chalice

Saragoça - Wool cloth

Saucer - Vessel to serve sauces at table

Secret - Prayer said by the priest in a low voice at mass before preface; Also same as latrine

Septuagesima - Third Sunday before Lent´s first

Spade - Lid or cover for an iron pot or any other culinary vase

Surplice - Kind of a small white mantle, with or without sleeves, clerics use over the cassock

Têmporas - The three days of fasting for one week in every year´s season according to Catholic rite

Terce - One of the canonical hours

Tercenário - Beneficiary of one third of altar dues

Tonsure - Clerics crown; Prima tonsure: religious ceremony where celebrant crown hair shaves the ordained on bestowing minor orders

Tunic - Bishop´s vest

Tunicela - Small tunic

Thuribler - Who moves the incense burning thurible

Thurifer - Who carries the thurible at church ceremonies

Vase - Vessel for taking wine out of casks or vats; Small jug; Old small vase, generally tin made, to drink wine

Versicle - Article short subdivision; part of the responsory at canonical hours

Versiculário - Responsible for versicles reading

Vespers - One of the three canonical hours, prayed in the evening. Vespers comprehended prayers at sunset and corresponded to 6 o´clock in the afternoon at equinox time (the twelfth hour)

Violate - Violet coloured; purplish.
Washman - He who washes clothes