Word.ws English Dictionary

pedilavium

Syllables: ped·i·la·vi·um/pɛ.dɪˈleɪ.vɪ.əm/US/ˌpɛ.dəˈleɪ.vi.əm/

pedilavium noun: the rite of foot-washing based on the act carried out by Jesus Christ on his disciples at the Last Supper. Depending on the church or denomination, it may be carried out at baptism, during Holy Communion, or as part of a Maundy Thursday service; maundy.

pedilavium: the rite of foot-washing based on the act carried out by Jesus Christ on his disciples at the Last...
Image: Judgefloro, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Noun

pedilavium (plural pedilavia or pedilaviums)

  1. The rite of foot-washing based on the act carried out by Jesus Christ on his disciples at the Last Supper. Depending on the church or denomination, it may be carried out at baptism, during Holy Communion, or as part of a Maundy Thursday service; maundy.
    • Part of the church service on Maundy Thursday is the pedilavium.
    • It is evident […] that the day [Maundy Thursday] was observed, as early as the fifth century, by the solemn celebration of the Lord's supper connected with the ceremony of the washing of feet (pedilavium). Augustin speaks of the celebration of the Lord's supper as being the more ancient and general...1839, J[oseph] E[smond] Riddle, “A More Particular Account of the Date, Names, and History of Ancient Festivals and Holy Days throughout the Year”, in A Manual of Christian Antiquities: Or, an...
  2. (obsolete) A footbath carried out for therapeutic purposes; a pediluvium.
    • [S]ome Diſorders of the Head, how remote ſoever therefrom, are hereby (together with other Remedies) excellently well provided for, on Account of the Community there is between theſe Parts, as well as others, by Means not only of the Blood-veſſels, but the nervous Fibrillæ alſo; ſo that ſome have...1714, Daniel Turner, “A Short Appendix Concerning the Efficacy of Local Remedies”, in De Morbis Cutaneis. A Treatise of Diseases Incident to the Skin. In Two Parts. With a Short Appendix Concerning...
    • In a Word, the Tea, Infuſion, Emulſion, and Syrup of the Seeds [of the poppy] are uſed in all ſevere internal Pains, […] And a Decoction of the Tops, Heads, Leaves, and Seeds in Baths, Pedilavia, Fomentations, Poultiſes, Ointments, &c. in all external Pains, and in Watchings, Cramps, and...1746, Tho[mas] Short, “251. Poppy (Papaver) […]”, in Medicina Britannica: Or, A Treatise on Such Physical Plants, as are Generally to be Found in the Fields or Gardens in Great-Britain: Containing a...

Examples of pedilavium in a sentence

  • Augustin speaks of the celebration of the Lord's supper as being the more ancient and general custom, and of the pedilavium as of later introduction and more partial observance.1839, J[oseph] E[smond] Riddle, “A More Particular Account of the Date, Names, and History of Ancient Festivals and Holy Days throughout...
  • Sweeping was like the pedilavium, a purification of the floor of the house and the feet of the believer, contaminated by the insidious flow of a dissipating humanity.2003, Ron Southern, “Strangers Below: An Archaeology of Distinctions in an Eighteenth-century Religious Community”, in Susan Lawrence...

Synonyms of pedilavium

Forms of pedilavium

pluralpedilavia
pluralpedilaviums

Origin of pedilavium

Borrowed from Late Latin pedilavium (“footbath”), from Latin pedi- (“foot”) (from pēs (“foot”)) + lavāre (“to wash”) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns).

Questions about pedilavium

What does pedilavium mean?
Pedilavium means the rite of foot-washing based on the act carried out by Jesus Christ on his disciples at the Last Supper. Depending on the church or denomination, it may be carried out at baptism, during Holy Communion, or as part of a Maundy Thursday service; maundy.
How do you use pedilavium in a sentence?
Augustin speaks of the celebration of the Lord's supper as being the more ancient and general custom, and of the pedilavium as of later introduction and more partial observance.
What part of speech is pedilavium?
Pedilavium is a noun.
How do you pronounce pedilavium?
Pedilavium is pronounced /pɛ.dɪˈleɪ.vɪ.əm/ (UK).
What is the plural of pedilavium?
The plural of pedilavium is pedilavia.

Words near pedilavium in the dictionary

  1. pedigreed
  2. pedigreeing
  3. pedigreeless
  4. pedigrees
  5. pedilavia
  6. pedilavium
  7. pedilaviums
  8. pedilid
  9. pedilids
  10. pediluvia
  11. pediluvies

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: pedilavium (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-pedilavium.wav.

Cite this entry: “pedilavium.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/pedilavium. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.