Sacrifice

Quick meaning: Sacrifice is a noun meaning A human being or an animal, or a physical object or immaterial thing (see etymology 1 sense 1.3), offered to a deity.

Meaning

A human being or an animal, or a physical object or immaterial thing (see etymology 1 sense 1.3), offered to a deity.

More Meanings

1. The offering of devotion, penitence, prayer, thanksgiving, etc., to a deity.
2. Jesus Christ's voluntary offering of himself to God the Father to be crucified as atonement for the sins of humankind.
3. 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.
4. 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-presentation of Christ's sacrificial offering.
5. 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.
6. Ellipsis 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”).
7. 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.

Example Sentences

Make of your Prayers one ſvveet Sacrifice, / And lift my Soule to Heauen.

Does the mute Sacrifice upbraid the Prieſt? / He knovvs him not his Executioner.

Let vs therfore by him [Jesus] offre allwayes vnto God the ſacrifice of prayſe: that is to ſaye, the frute of thoſe lippes which confeſſe his name.

O th'inchaunting vvords of that baſe ſlaue, / Made him to thinke Epeus pine-tree Horſe [i.e., the Trojan Horse] / A ſacrifize t'appeaſe Mineruas vvrath: […]

Word Forms

• sacrifices
• sacrificing
• sacrificed
• sacrificest
• sacrificedst
• sacrificeth

Synonyms for sacrifice

Depending on context, synonyms include save, give, forfeit, forfeiture.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include give, forfeiture, forfeit, consecration, devotion, dedication.

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