Standard Lemma guide

missal

noun · 3 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈmɪsəl/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • homophone: missile
  • CMU ARPABET: M IH1 S AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A prayer book; a church service (book).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A prayer book; a church service (book).

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: Catholicism, Christianity, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

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

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prayer book, prayerbook

History

Etymology

From Old French messel (“book of the Mass”).

Across languages

Translations

18 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: meshar — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Catalan: missal — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Dutch: missaal — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Dutch: misboek — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • French: missel — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • German: Missal — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • German: Messbuch — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Greek: λειτουργικό (leitourgikó) — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Irish: leabhar Aifrinn — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Italian: messale — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Macedonian: ми́сал (mísal) — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Macedonian: слу́жебник (slúžebnik) — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Malayalam: തക്സ (taksa) — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Polish: mszał — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Russian: миссал (missal) — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Spanish: misal — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Welsh: misal — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
  • Welsh: llyfr offeren — book containing the prayers and responses needed when celebrating the Roman Catholic Mass throughout the year
Real reading context

missal in complete knowledge articles