in antiquity, an altar erected, among the Romans, near the bed of a person deceased, on which his friends daily offered incense till his burial.—The real intention probably was to overcome any offensive smell that might arise about the corpse. The Chineese have still a custom like this: they erect an altar to the deceased in a room hung with mourning; and place an image of the dead person on the altar, to which every one that approaches it bows four times, and offers oblations and perfumes.

The Acerra also signified a little pot wherein were put the incense and perfumes to be burnt on the altars of the gods and before the dead. It appears to have been the same with what was otherwise called thuribulum, and pyxis.

We find mention of Acerra in the ancient church. The Jews had also their Acerra, in our version rendered censers; and the Romanists still retain them under the name of incense-pots. In Roman writers, we frequently meet with plena acerra, a full acerra: to understand which, it is to be observed, that people were obliged to offer incense in proportion to their estate and condition; the rich in larger quantities, the poor only a few grains; the former poured out acerras full on the altar, the latter took out two or three bits with their fingers.

a town of Italy, in the kingdom of Naples, and in the Terra di Lavoro; seated on the river Agno. E. Lon. 15. 10. N. lat. 40. 55.

ACERAE (anc. geogr.), the ancient name of a town on the Clanis, in Campania, not far from Naples, now ACERRA.—The name also of another town, now called la Girola, in the territory and to the south-east of Lodi, where the rivulet Serio falls into the Adda, to the west of Cremona and north of Placentia.