Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary - altar

 noun  Usage: often attributive  Etymology: Middle English alter, from Old English ~, from Latin ~e; probably akin to Latin adolere to burn up  Date: before 12th century  1. a usually raised structure or place on which sacrifices are offered or incense is burned in worship — often used figuratively to describe a thing given great or undue precedence or value especially at the cost of something else sacrificed his family life on the ~ of career advancement  2. a table on which the eucharistic elements are consecrated or which serves as a center of worship or ritual