sacramental

the word 'sacramental' is a derivative of 'sacrament', which entered english from old french sacrament, itself from latin sacramentum. in classical latin, sacramentum originally denoted a sum of money deposited in a legal dispute or a military oath of allegiance, derived from sacrare ('to consecrate') and the instrumental suffix -mentum. the christian church adopted the term to signify a sacred rite instituted by christ, a meaning shift from a secular pledge to a divine mystery. the adjectival suffix '-al' was then appended in late middle english to form 'sacramental', directly relating to or possessing the nature of these sacred rites, thus connecting the modern concept of sacred observance back to the ancient notion of a binding, solemn commitment.

Structure: sacrament + al sacrament (from latin sacramentum, meaning 'oath, solemn obligation, sacred rite'), al (latin adjectival suffix, meaning 'of, relating to, or characterized by').