The offerings or payments made to a church altar, or the right of a clergyman to receive these contributions.
From 'altar' + the suffix '-age,' indicating a collection or system of something related to the altar, referring to religious donations and clerical income.
In medieval churches, 'altarage' was a formal part of a priest's income—parishioners paid the church with gifts and money that went to altar upkeep, creating an early form of what we'd now call an 'endowment.'
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