Censer
/ˈsɛn.sər/noun
A container in which incense is burned, typically swung on chains in religious ceremonies.
Did you know?Censer, censor, and censure all descend from Latin censēre, originally tied to assessing and judging people and property in Rome — a word-family that moved from counting citizens to controlling speech.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kens-
“to proclaim, announce, or make known”
Classical Latin
Latin
censēre
“to assess, tax, rate, and officially judge”
Late Latin
Latin
censārium
“a vessel for incense; a censer”
Old French
Old French
censier
“an incense burner”
Middle English
English
censer
“a vessel for burning incense in religious use”
Modern English
English
censer
“a container in which incense is burned”