#ritual

• Abaeus — A Greek mythological epithet assigned to the god Apollo, derived from the town of Abae in Phocis, where the god had a famous temple and oracle. In the history of medicine and cultural anthropology, Abaeus is studied in connection with cathartic (purification) cults and healing rituals through incubation (sacred sleep in the temple to receive a diagnosis in a dream), specific to pre-Hippocratic theurgic medicine.
• Abjuration (variant) — A neologistic form or rare variant for 'abjurare'; the actual act by which a person renounces their faith or principles through a solemn declaration. In certain older theological or legal texts, the term designated the written formula or ritualistic text that the accused had to read aloud.
• Ablution — A secondary form or variant spelling of the noun 'abluțiune'. It denotes the partial or total washing of the body, having a ritual or symbolic character for spiritual purification within certain religions (such as Islam or Hinduism). In a medical or daily sense, it represents simple washing or bathing, while in geomorphology it defines the erosion of rocks on the ocean floor caused by deep currents.
• Ablution — The standard and primary noun form denoting the partial or total washing of the body, having a ritual or symbolic character, intended for spiritual purification within various world religions. In a medical or everyday sense, it represents the cleansing of the body through bathing, while in geomorphology it defines the process of submarine erosion caused by deep ocean currents.
• Axion — An archaic, regional, or phonetically corrupted form of the liturgical term 'axion' (derived from the Greek 'axion', meaning 'it is worthy'). It represents a religious hymn of praise dedicated to the Mother of God, sung during the Orthodox Divine Liturgy within the eucharistic ritual. In old popular speech, the term also designated the solemn moment in the service when the entire community offered their thanksgiving.
• Adezmă — A rare regional or archaic form, found in ancient dialects or ecclesiastical texts, representing a local phonetic alteration of the word 'agheazmă' (holy water). In a structural and ethnographic context, the term designates the ritual water blessed by a priest during religious ceremonies, used by believers for spiritual purification, the blessing of households, or the symbolic banishing of evil spirits.
• Holy water — A regional phonetic variant found in Transylvanian and Banat dialects for the noun 'agheasmă' (holy water); it represents the water blessed by a priest during an Orthodox or Catholic religious service, structurally used in rituals of purification, blessing of homes, and expelling of evil spirits. The term preserves a strong customary value within the spiritual life of rural communities.
• To adjure — To earnestly entreat, implore, or insistently request someone to do something, invoking a sacred name, a divine authority, or a solemn oath; also, in ritualistic practices, to command or adjure spirits or demonic forces to obey or depart. Not to be confused with the verb 'abjura' (to renounce a faith).
• Adjuration — The act of adjuring and its result; the solemn commanding, conjuring, or imploring of someone through the invocation of a supreme authority or a sacred oath. In old liturgical treatises, it represented the verbal formula or ritual whereby an exorcist commanded negative spiritual entities to submit to divine order.
• Adjuration — A solemn formula of invocation, earnest entreaty, or imperative command by which someone is requested to do or say something based on an oath or in the name of a sacred entity; also, the act of conjuring or expelling evil spirits. It represents the bookish neologistic equivalent of the term 'adjurare'.
• Adjuration — An archaic and bookish variant of the noun 'adjurare' or 'adjurație', representing a solemn formula of invocation, earnest entreaty, or imperative command based on a sacred oath. In old ecclesiastical or legal texts, it was used to express the supreme moral or spiritual constraint exercised upon a witness or a spirit.
• Female adorant — A female representation in sculpture, painting, or relief, captured in a ritualistic attitude of verification, prayer, or worship before an altar or divinity. As an adjective, the term describes a silhouette, manifestation, or posture characteristic of a woman rendering a mystical cult or sacred homage.
• Falling asleep — The act of falling asleep and its result; the gradual transition from wakefulness to sleep. In a theological and ecclesiastical context, the term is a solemn metaphor for the physical death of a believer, viewed not as a definitive end, but as a temporary rest of the body awaiting resurrection. Medically, it can describe the onset of sedation or numbness in a limb.
• Folk divination — A popular articulated regional variant of 'aflatul', used in Romanian villages to designate a divination ritual, magical custom, or traditional practice of predicting the future. Performed during sacred nights, it was used by young girls to discover their future husband.
• Aga Khan — A hereditary dynastic title held by the Imam (spiritual leader) of the Shia Ismaili Nizari Muslim community. The title combines the military rank 'aga' with the princely 'khan', recognized globally for its holders' extensive involvement in philanthropy, culture, architecture, and sustainable structural development via dedicated foundations.
• Holy water — Water blessed by a priest during a special religious service (lesser or greater blessing of water), through the invocation of the Holy Spirit, used in the Orthodox and Catholic Church for blessing, structural purification, sprinkling of homes, ritual objects, and spiritual healing; the religious service during which this water is blessed.
• Holy water font — A large vessel of metal, stone, or marble used in Orthodox churches to hold holy water (agheasmă); a small pavilion, open gazebo, or light structure located in the courtyard of a monastery or church, where the water blessing service is performed during major feasts; a liturgical book (also called Molitfelnic) containing the order of the blessing of water and other minor church services.
• Holy water — An orthographic variant for agheasmă or aghiazmă; water that has been blessed by a priest through the liturgical ritual of epiclesis (invocation of the Holy Spirit). It is widely used in Eastern Christian worship for sprinkling penitents, cleansing profane spaces, expelling unclean spirits, and blessing domestic or church objects.
• Holy water font — An orthographic and lexical variant recognized for agheasmatar; a large metallic vessel, monumental font, or ritual fountain used in Byzantine-tradition houses of worship for storing holy water. It also designates the covered outdoor pavilion where ecclesiastical communities celebrate the blessing of water, as well as the liturgical manual containing these rites.
• To sprinkle with holy water — To sprinkle a person, home, crop, or ritual object with holy water (agheasmă) within an ecclesiastical or traditional ritual of structural purification and blessing; in familiar or slang language, it means to consume alcohol in excess or to get drunk.