sacrifice

Overview

Meaning Now

• An act of slaughtering an animal or person or surrendering a possession as an offering to God or to a divine or supernatural figure.
• The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something else considered as having a higher or more pressing claim.

Journey

The word originally referred specifically to religious rituals involving the ritual killing of a victim to appease or influence a deity. Over centuries, the term expanded to include secular contexts involving the voluntary forfeiture of personal gain for altruistic or strategic goals.

Evolution

1. Latin

   sacrificium

   “an offering, rite”

   compound of sacer 'holy' + facere 'to do'

2. Old French

   sacrifice

   “religious offering”

3. Middle English

   sacrifise

   “offering to God”

   Adopted into Middle English from Old French/Latin

Connections

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