paten

American  

[pat-n] / ˈpæt n /

Or patin

noun

1. a metal plate on which the bread is placed in the celebration of the Eucharist.

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paten British  

/ ˈpætɪn, ˈpætən /

noun

1. a plate, usually made of silver or gold, esp the plate on which the bread is placed in the Eucharist

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Etymology

Origin of paten

1250–1300; Middle English pateyn ( e ) < Old French patene < Medieval Latin patena, patina Eucharistic plate ( Latin: pan); akin to Greek patánē flat dish, Latin patēre to be open ( patent )

Example Sentences

The plate is a paten used to serve the bread of the eucharist.

From The Guardian • Oct. 5, 2014

Curiously, the four lions and the kneeling angels supporting the paten and cover used in the Orthodox ritual send back echoes to much earlier German art.

From New York Times • Mar. 5, 2010

Among the glories here are a lyrical alabaster-and-pearl paten, which may have come from St. Sophia, and an opulent, dappled sardonyx chalice decorated with enamel figures that resemble mini-mosaics.

From Time Magazine Archive

But the Ardagh chalice did not have a paten or strainer with it.

From Time Magazine Archive

One paten touched a tree trunk and scrambled up like a bright squirrel.

From "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding