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American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Roman Catholic Church A book containing all the prayers and responses necessary for celebrating the Mass throughout the year.
  2. n. A prayer book.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. Pertaining to the mass, or to the missal or Roman Catholic mass-book.
  2. n. In the Roman Catholic Church, the book containing all the liturgical forms necessary for celebrating mass throughout the year. Originally the ordinary, canon, and some other parts of the mass were contained in the sacramentary, which also included the ottices for the other sacraments. In addition to this the antiphonary, lectionary, and evangeliary had to be used. Early in the eighth century the name of missal (missalis (sc. liber), missale) came to be applied to the sacramentary, and later to books containing additional parts of the mass. A book like the modern missal.containing all the forms of the mass, was called a plenary missal (missale plenarium). The modern Roman missal (the “reformed missal”) was issued substantially in its present form under Pius V. in 1570, and revised again under Clement VIII. and Urban VIII. It is the only Latin missal allowed to be used in the Roman Catholic Church, with the exception of the limited local use of the Ambrosian, Mozarabic, and some monastic rites. Roman Catholic priests in England do not follow the Sarum and other ancient English uses, but the present Roman rites. The Uniats and other Latinizing communities in Oriental countries are allowed to retain their ancient offices, with alterations more or less considerable. In the Roman missal, after the introductory matter (calendar, general rubrics, etc.) come the introits, collects, epistles, gospels, graduals, offertoria, secreta, communions, postcommunions, etc., throughout the year. The ordinary and canon of the mass are placed in the middle of the book, between the proper of Holy Saturday and that of Easter Sunday. After these masses de tempore follow the common of saints, votive and special masses, etc., and masses allowed to be used in special places. The euchologion of the Greek Church answers not to the missal, but to the original sacramentary.


  1. n. A prayer book
  2. n. A book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. The book containing the service of the Mass for the entire year; a Mass book.
  2. adj. Of or pertaining to the Mass, or to a missal or Mass book.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. (Roman Catholic Church) a book containing all the prayers and responses needed to celebrate Mass throughout the year


  1. Middle English messel, from Old French, from Medieval Latin missāle, from neuter of missālis, of the Mass, from Late Latin missa, Mass; see Mass. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)


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