sacrifice

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English[edit]

WOTD – 16 June 2024

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From Middle English sacrifice (“act of offering a life or object to a deity; the life or object so offered; (Christianity) act of consecrating the elements in the mass”),[2] from Anglo-Norman sacrefiz, and Old French sacrifice, sacrifise (modern French sacrifice), from Latin sacrificium (“something offered to a deity, sacrifice”), from sacrificus (“of or pertaining to sacrifice, sacrificial”)[3] + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). Sacrificus is derived from sacrificō (“to make a sacrifice”) + -us; and sacrificō from sacer (“devoted to a deity for sacrifice; holy, sacred”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- (“ceremony, ritual; to make sacred”)) + -ficō (suffix forming causative, factitive, or other verbs) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”)).

cognates

Noun[edit]

sacrifice (countable and uncountable, plural sacrifices)

  1. (religion)
    1. Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity.
    2. A human being or an animal, or a physical object or immaterial thing (see sense 1.3), offered to a deity.
    4. (figurative) The offering of devotion, penitence, prayer, thanksgiving, etc., to a deity.
    5. (Christianity, specifically)
      1. Jesus Christ's voluntary offering of himself to God the Father to be crucified as atonement for the sins of humankind.
      2. (by extension) The rite of Holy Communion or the Mass, regarded as (Protestantism) an offering of thanksgiving to God for Christ's crucifixion, or (Roman Catholicism) a perpetual re-enactment of Christ's sacrificial offering.
  2. (figurative)
    1. The destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable; also, the thing destroyed or surrendered for this purpose.
      Antonym: nonsacrifice
      the sacrifice of one’s spare time in order to volunteer
    2. (baseball) Synonym of sacrifice bunt or sacrifice hit (“a play in which the batter intentionally hits the ball softly with a hands-spread batting stance at the cost of an out to advance one or more runners”)
    3. (bridge) In full sacrifice bid: a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, that a player makes in the hope that they will incur fewer penalty points than the points likely to be gained by opponents in making their contract.
      Synonym: save
    4. (business, slang, dated) A monetary loss incurred by selling something at less than its value; also, the thing thus sold.
    5. (chess) An act of intentionally allowing one's piece to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game.
Derived terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
the rite of Holy Communion or the Mass — see Holy Communion,‎ Mass
synonym of sacrifice bunt — see sacrifice bunt

Etymology 2[edit]

From Middle English sacrificen (“to offer a sacrifice to a deity”),[4] from sacrifice (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs).[5][6]

Verb[edit]

sacrifice (third-person singular simple present sacrifices, present participle sacrificing, simple past and past participle sacrificed)

  1. (transitive)
    1. (religion) To offer (a human being or an animal, or an object) to a deity.
      Synonyms: Molochise, Molochize
      • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 16:4, column 2:
        And there ſhall bee no leauened bread ſeene with thee in all thy coaſts ſeuen dayes, neither ſhall there any thing of the fleſh, which thou ſacrificedſt the firſt day at Euen, remaine all night, vntill the morning.
      • a. 1632 (date written), John Donne, “[Characters.] The True Character of a Dunce.”, in Paradoxes, Problemes, Essayes, Characters, […], London: […] T. N. for Humphrey Moseley […], published 1652, →OCLC, page 68:
        [B]oth the muſes and the graces are his hard Miſtreſſes, though he daily Invocate them, though he ſacrifize Hecatombs, they ſtil look a ſquint, […]
      • 1634, T[homas] H[erbert], “A Description of the Bannyans in India”, in A Relation of Some Yeares Trauaile, Begunne Anno 1626. into Afrique and the Greater Asia, […], London: […] William Stansby, and Jacob Bloome, →OCLC, page 39:
        Their Funerals are theſe, they bring the dead corps neere to their Churches, vvhere they ſacrifice him to aſhes, in coſtly perfumes, in Aromatique Gummes and Spices.
        Used to refer to cremation of a dead body in a manner similar to a sacrifice.
      • 1646, Thomas Browne, “Of the Picture of Jephtha Sacrificing His Daughter”, in Pseudodoxia Epidemica: […], London: […] T[homas] H[arper] for Edward Dod, […], →OCLC, 5th book, page 255:
        [T]he Scripture vvith indignation, oft times makes mention of humane ſacrifice among the Gentiles, vvhoſe oblations ſcarce made ſcruple of any Animall, ſacrificing not onely man, but Horſes, Lyons, Ægles; […]
      • 1697, William Dampier, chapter XVII, in A New Voyage Round the World. […], London: […] James Knapton, […], →OCLC, page 485:
        [I]f they ſacrifice their Enemies it is not neceſſary they ſhould eat them too. After all, I vvill not be peremptory in the Negative, but I ſpeak as to the compaſs of my ovvn knovvledge, and knovv ſome of theſe Cannibal ſtories to be falſe, and many of them have been diſproved ſince I firſt vvent to the VVeſt Indies.
    2. (by extension, figurative)
      1. To destroy or kill (a human being or an animal); specifically (sciences), to kill (an animal) for a scientific experiment or test.
        • 1718, Mat[thew] Prior, “Solomon on the Vanity of the World. A Poem in Three Books.”, in Poems on Several Occasions, London: […] Jacob Tonson […], and John Barber […], →OCLC, page 476:
          Condemn'd to ſacrifice his childiſh Years / To babling Ign'rance, and to empty Fears; […]
          A figurative use.
        • 1812, “The Story of Baharkan, the Intemperate”, in Tales of the East: Comprising the Most Popular Romances of Oriental Origin; […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Company] for John Ballantyne and Company, Sylvester Doig and Andrew Stirling; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, and Robert Scholey, →OCLC, page 133, column 2:
          Heaven chastises thee, Baharkan! Thou wast cruel, vindictive, and inexorable. With thee humanity had no value. Thou sacrificedst thy brethren on the slightest suspicion.
      2. To destroy or surrender (something) for the sake of something else regarded as more urgent or valuable.
        Venison has many advantages over meat from factory farms, although it still requires a hunter to sacrifice the life of a deer.
        • 1710 October 2 (Gregorian calendar), Jonathan Swift, “[Dr. Swift’s Journal to Stella.] Letter IV.”, in Thomas Sheridan and John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume XIV, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 208:
          Deuce take lady S——; and if I know D——y, he is a rawboned faced fellow, not handsome, nor visibly so young as you say: she sacrifices two thousand pounds a year, and keeps only six hundred.
        • 1751 August 17, Samuel Johnson, “No. 145. Tuesday, August 6. 1751 [Julian calendar].”, in The Rambler, volume VI, Edinburgh: […] Sands, Murray, and Cochran; sold by W. Gordon, C. Wright, J. Yair, […], published 1751, →OCLC, page 109:
          [W]riters ſhould ceaſe from inteſtine hoſtilities; and, inſtead of ſacrificing each other to malice and contempt, endeavour to avert perſecution from the meaneſt of the fraternity.
        • 1849, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter VII, in The History of England from the Accession of James II, volume II, London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC, page 222:
          Could it then be doubted that, if the Churchmen would even now comply with his wishes, he would willingly sacrifice the Puritans?
        • 1857, George Eliot [pseudonym; Mary Ann Evans], “[Mr Gilfil’s Love-story.] Chapter IV”, in Scenes of Clerical Life [...] In Two Volumes, volume I, Edinburgh, London: William Blackwood and Sons, published January 1858, →OCLC, page 243:
          The Baronet had sacrificed a large sum, and even straitened the resources by which he was to carry out his architectural schemes, for the sake of removing the entail from his estate, and making this boy his heir— […]
        • 1862, Aḥmad Shāh Abdālī [i.e., Ahmad Shāh Durrānī], “[The Poems of Aḥmad Shāh, Abdālī.] [Poem] IX.”, in H[enry] G[eorge] Raverty, transl., Selections from the Poetry of the Afghāns, from the Sixteenth to the Nineteenth Century: […], London; Edinburgh: Williams and Norgate, […], →OCLC, page 301:
          From the pangs of grief thou shalt then be again released, / When thou sacrificest thine own affections, O my heart!
        • 1873, William Black, “Sheila's Strategem”, in A Princess of Thule. […], New York, N.Y., London: Harper & Brothers, →OCLC, page 287:
          [H]e dresses well, but there is perfect freedom about his dress. He is too much an artist to sacrifice himself to his clothes.
        • 1891 January, Rudyard Kipling, chapter VII, in The Light that Failed, London, New York, N.Y.: Macmillan and Co., published March 1891, →OCLC, page 126:
          And I know by what you have just said that you're on the wrong road to success. It isn't got at by sacrificing other people,—I've had that much knocked into me; you must sacrifice yourself, and live under orders, and never think for yourself, and never have real satisfaction in your work except just at the beginning, when you're reaching out after a notion.
        • 1960 February, R. C. Riley, “The London–Birmingham services—Past, Present and Future”, in Trains Illustrated, London: Ian Allan Publishing, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 99:
          To do the job thoroughly sentiment must be ignored and it seems inevitable that the famous Great Hall and the Doric Arch will have to be sacrificed to progress.
        • 1964 September 2, Holland-Dozier-Holland [Brian Holland; Lamont Dozier; Eddie Holland] (lyrics and music), “Baby Don’t You Do It”, performed by Marvin Gaye, Detroit, Mich.: Tamla, →OCLC:
          Don't you break my heart / 'Cause I sacrifice to make you happy.
        • 2008, Steven K. Scott, “The Greatest Words Ever Spoken about God Reaching Out to Us”, in The Greatest Words Ever Spoken: Everything Jesus Said about You, Your Life, and Everything Else, Colorado Springs, Colo.: WaterBrook Press, Random House, →ISBN, page 416:
          That is why God sacrificed His only begotten Son [Jesus]: so our incalculable debt of sin could be paid in full.
        • 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2, Redwood City, Calif.: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, P.C., scene: Haestrom:
          Tali: The Admiralty Board believed the information here was worth sacrificing all our lives for. I have to believe that they know what's best.
      3. (baseball) Of a batter: to advance (one or more runners on base) by batting the ball so it can be fielded, placing the batter out but with insufficient time to put the runner(s) out.
      4. (business, slang, dated) To sell (something) at less than its value, thus incurring a monetary loss.
      5. (chess) To intentionally allow (a piece) to be captured by the opponent in order to improve one's position in the game.
  2. (intransitive)
    1. (religion) To offer a human being or an animal, or an object, to a deity.
    2. (by extension, figurative)
      1. (baseball) Of a batter: to bat the ball so that it can be fielded, placing the batter out but allowing one or more runners on base to advance.
      2. (bridge) To make a bid of a contract which is unlikely to be fulfilled, in the hope that that the player will incur fewer penalty points than the points likely to be gained by opponents in making their contract.
      3. (Christianity) To celebrate Holy Communion or Mass.
        • 1659, Herbert Thorndike, “[An Epilogue to the Tragedy of the Church of England, […].] Chapter V. It Cannot be Proved by the Old Testament that the Eucharist is a Sacrifice. How by the New Testament it may be so Accounted. […].”, in The Theological Works of Herbert Thorndike, […] (Library of Anglo-Catholic Theology; 66), volume IV, Oxford, Oxfordshire: John Henry Parker, published 1852, →OCLC, book III (Of the Laws of the Church), page 113:
          For what power but God's can make good the promise of tendering the Body and Blood of Christ, as a visible mean[sic] to convey His Spirit? And he that goes about to make this change by consecrating the eucharist, must needs be understood to acknowledge this power of God's; but this is not that acknowledgement, which sacrificing importeth, but that, which every act of religion implieth. He that sacrificeth, acknowledging that which he sacrificeth, with all that he hath, to [come from or belong to][sic] God, to testify this acknowledgement, abandoneth that which he sacrificeth to be destroyed in testimony of it.
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of sacrifice
infinitive (to) sacrifice
present tense past tense
1st-person singular sacrifice sacrificed
2nd-person singular sacrifice, sacrificest† sacrificed, sacrificedst†
3rd-person singular sacrifices, sacrificeth† sacrificed
plural sacrifice
subjunctive sacrifice sacrificed
imperative sacrifice —
participles sacrificing sacrificed

†Archaic or obsolete.

Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to destroy or kill (a human being or an animal) — see destroy,‎ kill
The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Ian Brookes, editor (2003), “sacrifice”, in The Chambers Dictionary, 9th edition, Edinburgh: Chambers, →ISBN, page 1331, column 1.
  2. ^ “sacrifīce, n.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  3. ^ “sacrifice, n.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, March 2024; “sacrifice, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
  4. ^ “sacrifīcen, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  5. ^ “-en, suf.(3)”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
  6. ^ Compare “sacrifice, v.”, in OED Online Paid subscription required⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, September 2023; “sacrifice, v.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin sacrificium.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

sacrifice m (plural sacrifices)

  1. sacrifice

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Latin[edit]

Adjective[edit]

sacrifice

  1. vocative masculine singular of sacrificus

Romanian[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Verb[edit]

sacrifice

  1. third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of sacrifica
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