viaticum
/vʌɪˈatɪkəm
/noun (plural viatica /vʌɪˈatɪkə/)
1The Eucharist as given to a person near or in danger of death.This was the devastating viaticum of Pomponne de Bellievre for the dying Henry III, king of France....
- In February 1878 Pius IX died but one month after allowing Victor Emanuel II to receive the viaticum during the king's final bout with malaria.
- Liturgically, the scene embodies the mass as viaticum, the last mass for the departing soul and a crucial aid for the dying, which Fernando I used as a means of ensuring entrance to Heaven.
2 archaic A supply of provisions or an official allowance of money for a journey.
Origin
Mid 16th century: from Latin, neuter of viaticus, from via 'road'.