Oblate

['ɒbleɪt]

Definition

(noun.) a lay person dedicated to religious work or the religious life.

(adj.) having the equatorial diameter greater than the polar diameter; being flattened at the poles .

Editor: Margaret--From WordNet

Definition

(a.) Flattened or depressed at the poles; as, the earth is an oblate spheroid.

(a.) Offered up; devoted; consecrated; dedicated; -- used chiefly or only in the titles of Roman Catholic orders. See Oblate, n.

(a.) One of an association of priests or religious women who have offered themselves to the service of the church. There are three such associations of priests, and one of women, called oblates.

(a.) One of the Oblati.

Inputed by Claude

Definition

n. a secular person devoted to a monastery but not under its vows esp. one of the Oblate Fathers or Oblate Sisters: one dedicated to a religious order from childhood or who takes the cowl in anticipation of death: a loaf of altar-bread before its consecration.—n. Oblā′tion act of offering: anything offered in worship or sacred service esp. a eucharistic offering: an offering generally.—Great oblation the solemn offering or presentation in memorial before God of the consecrated elements as sacramentally the body and blood of Christ; Lesser oblation the offertory.

adj. flattened at opposite sides or poles: shaped like an orange.—ns. Oblate′ness flatness at the poles; Oblate′-spher′oid a spherical body flattened at the poles.

Typist: Wilhelmina