Meaning & use
communion table
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
The table in a Christian church where the bread and wine of the Eucharist are placed and shared.
Grammar: Takes a plural: communion tables. In some churches it is called the altar instead.
Patterns
- gather around the communion table
- kneel at the communion table
- the communion table at the front of the church
The congregation gathered around the communion table to receive the bread and wine.
A white cloth covered the communion table at the front of the chapel.
Word forms
| plural | communion tables |
|---|
Common combinations
- around the communion table
- Families sat around the communion table during the special service.
- kneel at the communion table
- Several visitors knelt at the communion table in quiet prayer.
- the communion table at the front
- Candles stood on the communion table at the front of the church.
Synonyms and how they differ
- altar
- Altar is the older and more common word; communion table is often chosen in Protestant churches to stress the shared meal, not a sacrifice.
- Lord's table
- A more formal, devotional name used within some Christian traditions for the same piece of furniture.
Word family
Commonly confused: communion table or altar?
communion table vs altar
An altar is a general religious structure for offerings or rituals; a communion table is specifically the table used for the Christian Eucharist, and some churches prefer the term to avoid sacrificial associations.
Practice
In many Protestant churches, the bread and wine of the Eucharist are placed on the ______.
Choose one answer.
The communion table is the table used for the Eucharist. A pulpit is where the minister preaches, and a pew is a bench for the congregation, so neither fits.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “communion table”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.