Christian Cyclopedia

1. White cloth, usually linen, enclosing a thin substance (e.g., cardboard), usually 6 to 9 in. square; used in Communion services to cover the chalice* before and after Communion or to cover the paten* if the latter is put on the chalice. See also Corporal.

2. Heavy cloth, often velvet (black, purple, or white), draped over a coffin or bier, tomb, or hearse; hence, figuratively, a coffin; formerly pallbearers held up the corners of the cloth; now those who carry the coffin are called pallbearers.