The communion paten (or plate) is the object that the altar server holds under a communicant's chin (or hands) to ensure no particles of the host are lost.
The communion paten evolved from the paten used in the Mass itself and is essentially the same form, except with a handle attached, typically flat on the edge but sometimes angled from the bottom. The altar server carries it while the priest distributes communion and then hands it to the priest to be purified afterwards.
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