The Collaborative International Dictionary
Sanctus \Sanc"tus\, n. [L. sanctus, p. p. of sancire.]
(Eccl.) A part of the Mass, or, in Protestant churches, a part of the communion service, of which the first words in Latin are Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus [Holy, holy, holy]; -- called also Tersanctus.
-
(Mus.) An anthem composed for these words.
Sanctus bell, a small bell usually suspended in a bell cot at the apex of the nave roof, over the chancel arch, in medi[ae]val churches, but a hand bell is now often used; -- so called because rung at the singing of the sanctus, at the conclusion of the ordinary of the Mass, and again at the elevation of the host. Called also Mass bell, sacring bell, saints' bell, sance-bell, sancte bell.
Wiktionary
n. sacring-bell
Wikipedia
Sanctus bell (also known as sacring bell) may refer to:
- A particular type of Church bell hung in a church tower or bell-cot.
- The small hand-held Altar bell (or bells) which have colloquially assumed the same name.
Usage examples of "sanctus bell".
Were I doing it meself, I'd have started just as the Sanctus bell was rung.
He loomed before us on a raised platform, which he occupied like a magistrate on his bench, or perhaps more like a priest at the altar, wielding his mallet like a sanctus bell or aspergillum.