Definition of "prothesis" []

• Linguistics The addition of a phoneme or syllable at the beginning of a word, as in Spanish espina, "thorn,” from Latin spina. (noun)
• Eastern Orthodox Church The preparation of the bread and wine for the Eucharist. (noun)
• Eastern Orthodox Church The table used for this preparation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Luckett's prothesis is often a source of good humor – most often generated by Luckett himself."
• "Since the Barberini Euchologion (ninth cent.) the Preparation of the Offerings (proskomide) at the credence-table (called prothesis) gradually developed into the elaborate rite that now accompanies it."
• "The irony is that the ones that get a prothesis are the lucky ones."