altar

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun An elevated place or structure before which religious ceremonies may be enacted or upon which sacrifices may be offered.
• noun A structure, typically a table, before which the divine offices are recited and upon which the Eucharist is celebrated in Christian churches.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun An elevated place or structure, a block of stone, or any object of appropriate form, on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned to a deity.
• noun In most Christian churches, the communion-table.
• noun The steps at the sides of a graving-dock.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun A raised structure (as a square or oblong erection of stone or wood) on which sacrifices are offered or incense burned to a deity.
• noun In the Christian church, a construction of stone, wood, or other material for the celebration of the Holy Eucharist; the communion table.
• noun the cover for an altar in a Christian church, usually richly embroidered.
• noun a cushion laid upon the altar in a Christian church to support the service book.
• noun See Frontal.
• noun the railing in front of the altar or communion table.
• noun a wall or partition built behind an altar to protect it from approach in the rear.
• noun a tomb resembling an altar in shape, etc.
• noun place of family devotions.
• noun to marry; -- said of a woman.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the table in Christian churches where communion is given
• noun a raised structure on which gifts or sacrifices to a god are made