Definitions
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun In Roman antiquity: A box or casket used to hold the incense which was thrown upon the altar during sacrifices. A small portable altar on which incense was burned, especially at funeral ceremonies.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun in Ancient Rome A small
box for holdingincense - noun in Ancient Rome A small
sacrificial altar
Etymologies
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Examples
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The ‘acerra’ was properly a box used for holding incense for the purposes of sacrifice, which was taken from it, and placed on the burning altar.
The Metamorphoses of Ovid Literally Translated into English Prose, with Copious Notes and Explanations 43 BC-18? Ovid 1847
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In all these ceremonies they burn on the spot a little gum benzoin -- Et acerra thuris plena, positusque carbo in cespite vivo.
The History of Sumatra Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And Manners Of The Native Inhabitants William Marsden 1795
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quid uelint flores et acerra turis plena miraris positusque carbo in
A Bachelor Festival Horace 1912
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