hostia

Hostia is a Latin noun meaning "sacrificial victim." In Christian usage, the term denotes the Eucharistic bread, the consecrated host, used during the celebration of the Eucharist. The plural form is hostiae. Etymologically, hostia derives from Latin for “victim” or “sacrifice,” and the English word host for the Eucharistic bread ultimately comes from this Latin root via Old French.

In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, the host refers to the bread prepared for Communion. It is typically unleavened wheat bread, shaped as wafers, which are placed on a paten. After the consecration in the Mass, Catholic teaching holds that the host becomes the Body of Christ through the doctrine of transubstantiation, and it is distributed to the faithful during Communion by the ordained minister or designated assistants.

In other Christian traditions, practices vary. Some Eastern rites use leavened bread for the Eucharist, and terminology differs from the Latin liturgical vocabulary. The word hostia itself is most closely associated with Latin or historical liturgical texts rather than everyday usage in modern Western churches.

Historical note and usage: in classical Latin, hostia referred to a sacrificial victim offered in ritual. The devotional and liturgical sense in later Christian usage preserves this idea of a sacramental offering presented to God in the Eucharist.

See also: Eucharist, Transubstantiation.