Pentecost is a noun referring to the Christian festival celebrated fifty days after Easter, commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles. It can also denote the period or event associated with this celebration. The term originates from a Greek word adopted into English via Latin and Old French, bearing religious and historical significance in liturgy and church calendars.
"The sermon focused on the work of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost."
"Our church hosts a special service to celebrate Pentecost each year."
"Pilgrims attended Pentecost celebrations in the oldest cathedrals."
"The scholar wrote about how Pentecost shaped early Christian identity."
Pentecost comes from the Greek word Pentecostē (Πεντηκοστή), which means the fiftieth. The term entered Latin as Pentecostēs and Old French as Pentecoste before English adoption. The root is pente-, meaning ‘fifth’ in Greek, but in the context of the Christian calendar it has come to signify the fiftieth day after Passover in Jewish reckoning and the fiftieth day after Easter in Christian practice. The festival commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, as described in Acts 2, which marks the birth of the Church’s mission. The first known English usage appears in medieval religious texts, with many manuscripts and sermons using Pentecost as a proper noun identifying the feast. Over centuries, the word acquired a broader cultural resonance in Christian art, music, and liturgy, while its linguistic form remained stable across English, Latin, and vernacular adaptations.
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Words that rhyme with "Pentecost"
-ast sounds
-sed sounds
Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce as pen-TI-kəst (US/UK/AU). IPA: US /ˈpɛn.tɪ.kɒst/ or /ˈpɛn.tɪ.kəst/ depending on accent; UK /ˌpen.tɪˈkɒst/. The main stress falls on the second syllable’s nucleus: TI. The first syllable uses /pɛn/ with a short e as in pen, the middle uses a reduced vowel or schwa in softer speech, and the final /kəst/ or /kɒst/ ends with a crisp /st/. For precise articulation, keep the mouth relatively relaxed for /pɛn/ and lift the tongue to produce /tɪ/ before a clear /k/ and /st/ cluster.
Common errors: 1) Stress misplacement, saying pen-TE-cust or pen-tee-cast; 2) Muddling the middle vowel, turning /ˈtɪ/ into /i/ or /ə/; 3) Dropping the final consonant cluster, saying /-koʊ/ or /-kost/ without proper /st/. Correction tips: emphasize the second syllable with a clear /ɪ/ as in Sit, keep the /t/ crisp, and finish with /st/ without vowel erosion. Practice with minimal pairs: Pentecost vs. Penitost (not a word) to lock the pattern; slowly rehearse the syllable boundary: /ˈpɛn/ /ˈtɪ/ /kɒst/ or /kəst/.
In general, US and UK share the /ˈpɛn.tɪ.kɒst/ vs /ˌpen.tɪˈkɒst/ patterns; US often rhymes /kɒst/ with /kost/ in many dialects, while UK may place stress slightly differently depending on speaker and historical liturgical reading; AU tends toward /ˈpɛn.tɪ.kɒst/ with non-rhotic tendencies less pronounced in careful speech, though most educated speakers produce clear /r/ none. Key differences are vowel quality in the first syllable /ɛ/ vs /e/ and the final vowel quality before /st/ which can shift toward /ɒ/ or /ə/. In all, the TI syllable is stressed, but overall prosody is influenced by the speaker’s regional rhythm.
Pentecost challenges include a multi-syllabic structure with a stressed second syllable and a closed final cluster. The middle /tɪ/ can blur into /tɪ/ or /tə/, and the final /kst/ cluster requires crisp timing so the /s/ isn’t swallowed. Additionally, non-native speakers may misplace stress or substitute /ɒ/ with /ɔː/ depending on their vowel inventory. Focused practice with the exact IPA and mouth positions, plus minimal-pair drills against similar words, helps stabilize the sequence.
Yes—Pentecost emphasizes a secondary stress-like prominence on the /ˈtɪ/ portion in many readings, with a clear onset for /k/ and a firm /st/ ending. The word’s cadence in religious readings often places a slight rise or breathy pause after the first syllable, helping the listener anticipate the crisp /tɪ/ → /k/ transition. It’s not a hard rule, but in careful, liturgical pronunciation you may hear a slightly longer /ˈpɛn/ and then a strong /tɪ/.
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