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单词 sacrifice
释义

sacrifice


sac·ri·fice

S0011400 (săk′rə-fīs′)n.1. a. The act of offering something to a deity in propitiation or homage, especially the ritual slaughter of an animal or a person.b. A victim offered in this way.2. a. The act of giving up something highly valued for the sake of something else considered to have a greater value or claim: Social activism often involves tremendous sacrifice.b. Something given up in this way.3. a. Relinquishment of something at less than its presumed value.b. Something so relinquished.c. A loss so sustained.4. Baseball A sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly.v. sac·ri·ficed, sac·ri·fic·ing, sac·ri·fic·es v.tr.1. To offer as a sacrifice to a deity.2. To give up (one thing) for another thing considered to be of greater value.3. To sell or give away at a loss.4. To kill (an animal) for purposes of scientific research or experimentation.v.intr.1. To offer a sacrifice: The Greek warriors sacrificed to their gods.2. To make a sacrifice: parents sacrificing for their children.3. Baseball To make a sacrifice bunt or sacrifice fly.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; see sacred + facere, to make; see dhē- in Indo-European roots.]
sac′ri·fic′er n.

sacrifice

(ˈsækrɪˌfaɪs) n1. a surrender of something of value as a means of gaining something more desirable or of preventing some evil2. a ritual killing of a person or animal with the intention of propitiating or pleasing a deity3. a symbolic offering of something to a deity4. the person, animal, or object surrendered, destroyed, killed, or offered5. a religious ceremony involving one or more sacrifices6. loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value7. (Chess & Draughts) chess the act or an instance of sacrificing a piecevb8. to make a sacrifice (of); give up, surrender, or destroy (a person, thing, etc)9. (Chess & Draughts) chess to permit or force one's opponent to capture (a piece) freely, as in playing a combination or gambit: he sacrificed his queen and checkmated his opponent on the next move. [C13: via Old French from Latin sacrificium, from sacer holy + facere to make] ˈsacriˌficeable adj ˈsacriˌficer n

sac•ri•fice

(ˈsæk rəˌfaɪs)

n., v. -ficed, -fic•ing. n. 1. the offering of animal, plant, or human life or of some object to a deity, as in propitiation or homage. 2. the person, animal, or thing so offered. 3. the surrender or destruction of something valued for the sake of something having a higher or more pressing claim. 4. something so surrendered or lost. 5. a loss incurred in selling something below its value. 6. Also called sac′rifice bunt`, sac′rifice hit`. a hit or bunted ball in baseball that results in an out for the batter, but allows a runner on base to advance or score. v.t. 7. to make a sacrifice or offering of. 8. to surrender, give up, permit injury to, or destroy for the sake of something else. 9. to dispose of (goods, property, etc.) regardless of profit. 10. to cause the advance of (a base runner) in baseball by a sacrifice. v.i. 11. to offer or make a sacrifice. 12. to make a sacrifice in baseball. [1225–75; < Old French < Latin sacrificium=sacri-, comb. form of sacer sacred + -fic-, comb. form of facere to make, do1] sac′ri•fice`a•ble, adj. sac′ri•fic`er, n.

sacrifice

  • offer - Originally meant "to present or sacrifice something to a religious entity."
  • sacrifice - From Latin sacrificium, related to sacrificus, "sacrificial," from sacer, "holy, sacred."
  • oblation - Something offered to God or a god, like a sacrifice or donation, can be called an oblation.
  • victim - Originally denoted a person or animal killed as a sacrifice.

sacrifice


Past participle: sacrificed
Gerund: sacrificing
Imperative
sacrifice
sacrifice
Present
I sacrifice
you sacrifice
he/she/it sacrifices
we sacrifice
you sacrifice
they sacrifice
Preterite
I sacrificed
you sacrificed
he/she/it sacrificed
we sacrificed
you sacrificed
they sacrificed
Present Continuous
I am sacrificing
you are sacrificing
he/she/it is sacrificing
we are sacrificing
you are sacrificing
they are sacrificing
Present Perfect
I have sacrificed
you have sacrificed
he/she/it has sacrificed
we have sacrificed
you have sacrificed
they have sacrificed
Past Continuous
I was sacrificing
you were sacrificing
he/she/it was sacrificing
we were sacrificing
you were sacrificing
they were sacrificing
Past Perfect
I had sacrificed
you had sacrificed
he/she/it had sacrificed
we had sacrificed
you had sacrificed
they had sacrificed
Future
I will sacrifice
you will sacrifice
he/she/it will sacrifice
we will sacrifice
you will sacrifice
they will sacrifice
Future Perfect
I will have sacrificed
you will have sacrificed
he/she/it will have sacrificed
we will have sacrificed
you will have sacrificed
they will have sacrificed
Future Continuous
I will be sacrificing
you will be sacrificing
he/she/it will be sacrificing
we will be sacrificing
you will be sacrificing
they will be sacrificing
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been sacrificing
you have been sacrificing
he/she/it has been sacrificing
we have been sacrificing
you have been sacrificing
they have been sacrificing
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been sacrificing
you will have been sacrificing
he/she/it will have been sacrificing
we will have been sacrificing
you will have been sacrificing
they will have been sacrificing
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been sacrificing
you had been sacrificing
he/she/it had been sacrificing
we had been sacrificing
you had been sacrificing
they had been sacrificing
Conditional
I would sacrifice
you would sacrifice
he/she/it would sacrifice
we would sacrifice
you would sacrifice
they would sacrifice
Past Conditional
I would have sacrificed
you would have sacrificed
he/she/it would have sacrificed
we would have sacrificed
you would have sacrificed
they would have sacrificed
Thesaurus
Noun1.sacrifice - the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.sacrifice - the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.forfeit, forfeiturehuman action, human activity, act, deed - something that people do or cause to happen
2.sacrifice - personnel that are sacrificed (e.g., surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective)personnel casualty, loss - military personnel lost by death or capture
3.sacrifice - a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value; "he had to sell his car at a considerable sacrifice"loss - something that is lost; "the car was a total loss"; "loss of livestock left the rancher bankrupt"
4.sacrifice - the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deityritual killinganimal, animate being, beast, creature, fauna, brute - a living organism characterized by voluntary movementkill, putting to death, killing - the act of terminating a lifehecatomb - a great sacrifice; an ancient Greek or Roman sacrifice of 100 oxenimmolation - killing or offering as a sacrifice
5.sacrifice - (baseball) an out that advances the base runnersputout - an out resulting from a fielding play (not a strikeout); "the first baseman made 15 putouts"sacrifice fly - a sacrifice made by hitting a long fly ballbaseball, baseball game - a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs; "he played baseball in high school"; "there was a baseball game on every empty lot"; "there was a desire for National League ball in the area"; "play ball!"
Verb1.sacrifice - endure the loss of; "He gave his life for his children"; "I gave two sons to the war"givedevote, pay, give - dedicate; "give thought to"; "give priority to"; "pay attention to"dedicate, devote, commit, consecrate, give - give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause; "She committed herself to the work of God"; "give one's talents to a good cause"; "consecrate your life to the church"relinquish, resign, give up, release, free - part with a possession or right; "I am relinquishing my bedroom to the long-term house guest"; "resign a claim to the throne"
2.sacrifice - kill or destroy; "The animals were sacrificed after the experiment"; "The general had to sacrifice several soldiers to save the regiment"kill - cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly; "This man killed several people when he tried to rob a bank"; "The farmer killed a pig for the holidays"
3.sacrifice - sell at a losssell - exchange or deliver for money or its equivalent; "He sold his house in January"; "She sells her body to survive and support her drug habit"
4.sacrifice - make a sacrifice of; in religious ritualsimmolate - offer as a sacrifice by killing or by giving up to destruction; "The Aztecs immolated human victims"; "immolate the valuables at the temple"offer up, offer - present as an act of worship; "offer prayers to the gods"

sacrifice

verb1. offer, slaughter, offer up, immolate The priest sacrificed a chicken.2. give up, abandon, relinquish, lose, surrender, let go, do without, renounce, forfeit, forego, say goodbye to She sacrificed family life when her career took off.noun1. offering, immolation, oblation, hecatomb animal sacrifices to the gods2. surrender, loss, giving up, resignation, rejection, waiver, abdication, renunciation, repudiation, forswearing, relinquishment, eschewal, self-denial They have not suffered any sacrifice of identity.Quotations
"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" [Winston Churchill speech to the House of Commons]
"Too long a sacrifice"
"Can make a stone of the heart" [W.B. Yeats Easter 1916]
"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" Bible: St. John
Proverbs
"You cannot make an omelette without breaking eggs"

sacrifice

noun1. One or more living creatures slain and offered to a deity as part of a religious rite:hecatomb, immolation, offering, victim.2. A loss sustained in the accomplishment of or as the result of something:cost, expense, price, toll.verbTo offer as a sacrifice:immolate, victimize.
Translations
牺牲献祭祭品供奉

sacrifice

(ˈsӕkrifais) noun1. the act of offering something (eg an animal that is specially killed) to a god. A lamb was offered in sacrifice. 獻祭 献祭,供奉 2. the thing that is offered in this way. 祭品 祭品3. something of value given away or up in order to gain something more important or to benefit another person. His parents made sacrifices to pay for his education. 犧牲 牺牲 verb1. to offer as a sacrifice. He sacrificed a sheep in the temple. 獻祭,供奉 献祭,供奉 2. to give away etc for the sake of something or someone else. He sacrificed his life trying to save the children from the burning house. 犧牲 牺牲ˌsacriˈficial (-ˈfiʃəl) adjectivesacrificial victims. 被犧牲的 牺牲的ˌsacriˈficially adverb 被犧牲地 牺牲地

sacrifice

牺牲zhCN

sacrifice


sacrifice (something) on the altar of (something)

To abandon something in exchange for something else (which is stated after "of"). I know you want to help your family, but you can't sacrifice your happiness on the altar of servitude. It seems that the curriculum at this school has been sacrificed on the altar of profit.See also: altar, of, on, sacrifice

be sacrificed on the altar of (something)

To be abandoned in exchange for something the speaker considers inferior. It seems that the curriculum at this school has been sacrificed on the altar of profit. I know you want to help your family, but your happiness shouldn't be sacrificed on the altar of servitude.See also: altar, of, on, sacrifice

sacrifice (someone or something) for (someone or something else)

1. To give up, relinquish, or surrender someone or something in order to obtain someone or something, benefit someone or something, or achieve some purpose. I had to sacrifice my favorite three baseball cards to get my hands on the ultra-rare Mickey Mantle card Tom was carrying. He sacrificed a lot of opportunities for you, and this is how you repay him? I don't mind sacrificing a weekend for a chance to win a million dollars on TV.2. To permit harm, death, destruction, or failure to someone or something in order to obtain something or for some purpose. Their government is clearly willing to sacrifice its citizens for this foolish war. Sarah sacrificed a lot of friendships and relationships for her place at the head of the company.See also: sacrifice, something

sacrifice (someone or something) to (someone or something else)

1. To make a sacrificial offering of someone or something to some being, deity, or power. The tribe selects someone each year and sacrifices them to the gods. In burning our material possessions, we sacrifice that which binds us to the mortal world to the unknowable forces of eternity.2. To give up, relinquish, or surrender someone or something in order to do something. He sacrificed a lot of career opportunities to follow his dream of moving to Japan. I sacrificed the best years of my life to raise you kids!See also: sacrifice, something

sacrifice someone or something for someone or something

to forfeit someone or something for the sake of someone or something. Surely you won't sacrifice your dear wife for a silly twit like Francine! Would you sacrifice your bank account for a chance to go to Europe?See also: sacrifice

sacrifice someone or something to someone or something

to make an offering of or give up someone or something to someone or some power. The high priest prepared to sacrifice the prisoner to the gods. I sacrificed a lot of money to a fancy lifestyle.See also: sacrifice

be sacrificed on the altar of something

If someone or something is sacrificed on the altar of a particular belief or activity, they suffer or are harmed because of it. They promised that the interests of farmers wouldn't be sacrificed on the altar of free trade. Let us hope that these children's education will not be sacrificed on the altar of social experimentation. Note: You can also say that someone or something is a sacrifice on the altar of a particular thing. He was just another sacrifice on the altar of celebrity. Note: An altar was a large stone on which animals were killed during the worship of a god or goddess in former times. The killing of an animal in this way was called a sacrifice. See also: altar, of, on, sacrifice, something

sacrifice someone or something on the altar of

make someone or something suffer in the interests of someone or something else. 1994 Post (Denver) The cherished goal of a color-blind society…has been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. See also: altar, of, on, sacrifice, someone, something

sacrifice


sacrifice

[Lat. sacrificare=to make holy], a type of religious offering, or gift to a superior or supreme being, in which the offering is consecrated through its destruction.

The Nature of Sacrifice

Sacrifices may be performed on a regular basis, according to established patterns of daily, monthly, or seasonal acts, or on special occasions, notably at important times in an individual's life (birth, puberty, marriage, death), and in the face of extraordinary conditions. The purpose of the act is either to establish or sustain a proper relationship with the god or gods. Sacrifices may simply express homage and veneration, or they may give thanks for good fortune. Sacrifices of supplication are intended to provoke good fortune, and sacrifices of expiation are offered to appease the divine wrath kindled by humanity's transgression of other arrangements. Humans have been known to sacrifice anything that they have ever used or produced; the oblation may be left exposed; poured, if liquid, into the ground; or burned.

History

The Paleolithic evidence for sacrifice is unclear, and it has not been observed in contemporary hunter-gatherer societies. It has been observed, however, in pastoral and agricultural societies. In simpler societies, anyone is usually permitted to offer a sacrifice, but in more complex societies, this right is generally reserved for either a religious specialist or a person of high political rank. Often, the sacrificial cult is linked to the legitimacy of a king or emperor, as in classical Japan, China, Sumeria, Egypt, and Rome; sometimes, struggles for control over this cult lead to conflict between priests and kings.

Biblical accounts of sacrifice begin with Cain's sacrifice of the fruit of the ground, not acceptable to God, and Abel's rightful sacrifice of the firstlings of his flock. The release of Abraham from the vow to sacrifice Isaac has been read as an argument against human sacrifice in Hebrew tradition, evidenced elsewhere in the story of Jephthah's daughter. After their Temple was destroyed by Romans in A.D. 70, the Jewish sacrificial cult was replaced by other activities; among present-day Samaritans, however, the paschal lamb is still sacrificed at the time of the Passover. In the New Testament, the symbolization of Jesus by the sacrificial lamb is frequent. In the ancient liturgies, the EucharistEucharist
[Gr.,=thanksgiving], Christian sacrament that repeats the action of Jesus at his last supper with his disciples, when he gave them bread, saying, "This is my body," and wine, saying, "This is my blood." (Mat. 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; 1 Cor. 11.
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 is regarded as a real continuation of this sacrifice of Calvary; hence Roman Catholics call the Mass "the holy sacrifice."

Other ancient cultures of the Middle East, Asia, and Europe also had religions with sacrificial rituals. Perhaps the most fully developed was that of the Vedic religion in India, as worked out in great detail in the Brahmanic texts (see HinduismHinduism
, Western term for the religious beliefs and practices of the vast majority of the people of India. One of the oldest living religions in the world, Hinduism is unique among the world religions in that it had no single founder but grew over a period of 4,000 years in
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). The Maya and the Aztec developed a particularly bloody and elaborate ritual of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice in simpler forms (e.g., cannibalismcannibalism
[Span. caníbal, referring to the Carib], eating of human flesh by other humans. The charge of cannibalism is a common insult, and it is likely that some alleged cannibal groups have merely been victims of popular fear and misrepresentation.
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, head-huntinghead-hunting,
practice of taking and preserving the head of a slain enemy. It has occurred throughout the world from ancient times into the 20th cent. In Europe, it flourished in the Balkans until the early 20th cent. The practice often has magico-religious motives.
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, killing of prisoners) has also been widespread. The practice of human sacrifice is rare in recent years, although survivals do exist in some parts of the world, and even animal sacrifice has become widely reviled. In the United States, practitioners of Afro-Caribbean religions such as voodoovoodoo
[from the god Vodun], native W African religious beliefs and practices that also has adherents in the New World. Voodoo believers are most numerous in Haiti, where voodoo was granted official religious status in 2003, and in Benin, where the religion has had official
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 and SanteríaSantería
, religion originating in W Africa, developed by Yoruba slaves in Cuba, and practiced by an estimated one million people in the United States. Blending African beliefs with those of Roman Catholicism, it fuses Christian saints with African deities (orishas).
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 have been subject to law enforcement restrictions on animal sacrifice, but in 1993 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled it was a constitutionally protected practice as a religious rite.

Bibliography

See R. J. Daly, Christian Sacrifice (1978); H. Hubert and M. Mauss, Sacrifice (tr. 1964, repr. 1981); M. I. Siddiqui, Animal Sacrifice in Islam (1981); W. Burkert, Homo Necans: The Anthropology of Ancient Greek Sacrificial Ritual and Myth (1983); U. M. Vesci, Heat and Sacrifice in the Vedas (1986); N. Davies, Human Sacrifice in History and Today (1988); P. Tierney, The Highest Altar: The Story of Human Sacrifice (1989).

Sacrifice

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

The first "religious" act was probably ritual burial (see Burial Customs). The second might well have been sacrifice. No one knows why. All we can do is guess.

It could be that the human religious response to the unknown is to bargain. "If you do that, I will give you this." As in, "If you spare my crop, I will give you the first grain." But it could also be that human response to the unknown is to bribe. "How big an offering will it take to get you to spare my fields? My first fruits? My best lamb? My firstborn?"

All we know for sure is that sacrifice is found very early in the historical record. The disturbing fact is that human sacrifice is also found very early. And the practice seems to be universal. From Europe to China and all over the Americas, rising to the heights of gruesome ritual in Central America, animal as well as human sacrifice is well documented.

Even the biblical heroes, including David and Solomon, had the idea that the bigger the sacrifice, the deeper the sincerity. At the dedication of the Great Temple, Solomon offered a sacrifice consisting of "22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats" (1 Kings 8:63). With this kind of sentiment building, it is no wonder that the Hebrew psalmist laments, "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart" (Psalm 51:15-17).

We find the concept of sacrifice in every major religion. Practitioners of Buddhism and Hinduism tend to offer grain or vegetable sacrifices to specific deities. Those of Shinto and Confucianism tend to honor ancestors with sacrifices or offerings of fruit.

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam began with a human sacrifice—or at least an attempted one. The sacrifice of Isaac, or, according to Islamic tradition, Ishmael (see Abraham), marks the beginning of a long, involved theological journey to the present-day ritual of the Catholic Mass and the Protestant Communion service. Although Jewish sacrifices ceased with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE (see Judaism, Development of), the practice is still symbolically remembered in Christianity. Jesus said, "This is my body... This is my blood... Take this in remembrance of me." The bread and wine used in these services point directly to what is understood as the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. God offered, in the closely reasoned logic of the author of the book of Hebrews, a final sacrifice that summed up all the animal sacrifices of the past (Hebrews 9 and 10). Modern Christians have "spruced up" the ritual so much that an observer might miss the meaning behind what is, in fact, the celebration of a very bloody, very painful sacrifice.

What tends to boggle the mind of most moderns, however, is that sacrifice was often seen as an honor. In Central American Indian traditions, those who were sacrificed were often willing victims. The winner of the ritual ball game (we don't really know what the rules were, but the stadiums have been excavated) joyfully accepted his death. Having proved his worthiness and received the adulation of his peers, the victim died at the very height of the greatest moment of his life. The modern equivalent would be to kill the quarterback who wins the Super Bowl. In other Central and South American villages, an innocent virgin, trained for her task, willingly gave up her life so that her grateful neighbors could have a bountiful harvest. She was honored, not pitied. At least, that's what the archaeological evidence and oral legends seem to indicate.

Even our language reveals the long history of sacrifice for the good of the tribe. In "America's game" of baseball, when a batter taps a ball down the first-base line, knowing he will be tagged out but at the same time advancing a teammate to a better scoring position, the strategy is called a "sacrifice bunt." And every Sunday afternoon during football season, a player praises a teammate who is "not afraid to sacrifice his body" for the good of the team.

Perhaps the altruistic idea of giving something up to gain something better for the community is behind the idea of ritual sacrifice. We simply don't know. What seems logical to us in this century might not even approach the reality of previous civilizations.

We will probably never know. Whatever the reasons, the practice of ritual sacrifice is one of the few universal religious rituals.

Sacrifice

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

A sacrifice is the giving of something or someone to a deity or deities as a gift, in supplication, to atone, or to appease. It establishes a connection between the profane and the sacred. Common sacrifices are food and drink, tokens from the harvest, animals, and—historically—even humans.

In the Witchcraft ceremony of Cakes and Wine, or Cakes and Ale, Wiccans give the first of the wine and the first piece of cake as an offering to the gods. Flowers may also be offered, along with nuts, fruit, and harvest gatherings. There is no blood sacrifice in Wicca.

In Voodoo it is common to sacrifice an animal, such as a chicken, goat, or a young bull. This is most frequently done when asking for help from the loa, or gods. In Haiti, for example, this is a very real sacrifice, since to give up that food deprives the person or family making the offering of that much sustenance.

On the mainland of ancient Greece and in the Greek colonies, human sacrifice was not uncommon, usually as a means of expelling evil. In Sparta, all state sacrifices were offered by the kings, as descendants of the gods. In the Athenian sacrifice known as the bouphonia ("murder of the ox"), which took place at the end of June, oxen were driven around the altar, and the one that approached and ate the offering was the one sacrificed. This was done to bring an end to the drought of that season. The sacrifice eaten by the ox was in the form of cakes made from barley mixed with wheat.

Demeter is described by Homer as "Yellow Demeter" because of her association with the corn. She is also known as "Green Demeter" when associated with unripe corn. In that aspect she had sanctuaries at Athens and other places, where sacrifices were made to her when the crops were young. Pregnant sows were sacrificed, intended not only to symbolize the abundance of the crops but also to promote that abundance.

In Rome, human sacrifice occurred at the Saturnalia, and animal sacrifice was found extensively. Teutonic kings acted alongside their priests in the matter of sacrifice, while in China the emperor's duties included the offering of public sacrifice as part of the traditional ritual lore. The Aztecs were probably the best-known practitioners of human sacrifice, although they did not begin the practice until about two hundred years before the conquest. In India it was common to sacrifice a widow on her dead husband's funeral pyre. According to Sir James Frazer (The Golden Bough), the Semitic custom of sacrificing children, especially the first born, was also found in some Aboriginal tribes of New South Wales, where the first-born child of every woman was eaten by the tribe as part of a religious ceremony. Some Native Americans of Florida also sacrificed their first-born children, according to Frazer.

In a Druidical custom, a huge figure made of wicker-work was burned at mid- summer. The figure would often contain animals as a sacrifice. This was a practice continued across France for generations. According to the Athenaeum of July 24,

1869, at Luchon in the Pyrenees, "a hollow column, composed of strong wickerwork, is raised to the height of about sixty feet in the centre of the principal suburb, and interlaced with green foliage up to the very top; while the most beautiful flowers and shrubs procurable are artistically arranged in groups below, so as to form a sort of background to the scene. The column is then filled with combustible materials. . . bonfires are lit, with beautiful effect, in the surrounding hills. As many living serpents as can be collected are then thrown into the column, which is set on fire at the base by means of torches."

Sacrifice

 

an essential part of religious ritual, the offering of gifts to various spirits, deified objects, gods, and saints. There are several theories concerning its origins. Some scholars, including the Australian ethnologist W. B. Spencer, link sacrifices with the custom of feeding the dead. Others, such as the English ethnologist E. Tylor, view sacrifice as a traditional means of placating and propitiating the spirits. The Scottish scholar W. R. Smith suggests that its origins lie in the custom of group tribal feasts. Theories linking the ritual of sacrifice with a belief in the magical powers of sacrificed animals have also been advanced. The phenomenon of sacrifice is clearly complex, having a number of origins.

The most ancient forms of sacrifice include feeding the deceased and fetishes, propitiatory and redemptive sacrifices, the offering of firstfruits (the ritual removal of taboos that had been temporarily placed upon products of gathering or agriculture and the offspring of the livestock). With the growth of social inequality in slaveholding, feudal, and capitalistic societies, professional clergymen demanded from believers greater sacrifices to the spirits and gods. Out of this grew the custom of offering donations, sacrifices, and grants to temples and later to churches and monasteries. This led to the acquisition of vast holdings, which served as the church’s principal economic power, for example, in medieval Europe and Rus’.

Historically, an extremely wide variety of sacrifices have been known in all religions. They range from simple and harmless sprinklings or libations before eating and drinking in honor of the spirits and gods to bloody and cruel human sacrifices and hecatombs (the slaughter of 100 bulls) in antiquity. Particularly savage were the sacrifices of children in ancient Phoenicia and Carthage, religious suicides in India and Japan, and ritual castrations by the cult of Cybele in Asia Minor and by the Skoptsy in tsarist Russia. Consecration of the spirits of living animals, which is practiced in Siberia, as well as monasticism, religious asceticism, and fasting can also be considered as forms of sacrifice. Sacrificial ritual has appeared in modified forms—for example, symbolic sacrifices made of paper (in China) or the offering of votive objects. Vestiges of sacrifice continue to exist in modern religions; examples include the burning of votive candles and lamps, as well as the consecration of food.

REFERENCES

Tokarev, S. A. Rannie for my religii i ikh razvitie. Moscow, 1964.
Tokarev, S. A. Religiia v istorii narodov mira. Moscow, 1964.
Kazhdan, A. P. Religiia i ateizm v drevnem mire. Moscow, 1957.
Frazer, J. Zolotaia vetv’, issues 1–4. Moscow, 1928. (Translated from English.)
Shternberg, L. la. Pervobytnaia religiia v svete etnografii. Leningrad, 1936.

S. A. TOKAREV

What does it mean when you dream about a sacrifice?

A dream of sacrifice may indicate that the dreamer feels “martyred” because of the time and energy they have sacrificed for others. The dreamer may need to eliminate certain conditions to allow for more productive and rewarding experiences.

Sacrifice

See also Martyrdom, Self-Sacrifice.Adrammelech and AnammelechSepharvaite gods to whom children were immolated. [O.T.: II Kings 17:31]Akedahbiblical account of God commanding Abraham’s offerings. [Jewish Hist.: Wigoder, 17]Burghers of Calaisthey sacrificed themselves to save city from British siege after Battle of Crécy (1346). [Fr. Hist.: EB, II: 447]IdomeneusCretan king sacrifices his son to fulfill a vow. [Gk. Myth.: Benét, 492]Iphigeniaslain to appease Artemis’ wrath. [Gk. Myth.: Walsh Classical, 156]Molochgod to whom idolatrous Israelites immolated children. [O.T.: II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31–32, 32:35]Moriahsite intended for Abraham’s offering up of Isaac. [O.T.: Genesis 22:2]Normapriestess betrays her vows and sacrifices herself in atonement. [Ital. Opera: Bellini Norma in Benét, 720]Tophetsite of propitiatory immolations to god, Moloch. [O.T.: II Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31–32]sutteeformer practice of self-immolation by widow on husband’s pyre. [Hinduism: Brewer Dictionary, 1049]

sacrifice

Chess the act or an instance of sacrificing a piece

Sacrifice

(dreams)Before we can nourish others, we first need to nourish ourselves. Making sacrifices is human, but when we do too much for the world and not enough for ourselves, we are left feeling neglected and weak. Martyrdom is not fun and martyrs are at times annoying. This dream may be suggesting to you that you need to prioritize. Eliminate things in your life that are not necessary and continuously drag you down. Also, consider the fact that whatever is constantly requiring you to make personal sacrifices may not be in your best interest or conducive to your health or happiness. Superstitionbased dream interpretations say that dreaming about sacrifice is a dream of the contrary and that you will be enriched in the near future.

sacrifice


sacrifice

DRV-1243182805 (sak′rĭ-fīs″) [L. sacrificare, to make or offer a sacrifice] 1. To give up or yield something of value.2. To experience a loss.
FinancialSeeSacrifice RatioSee S
See SAC

sacrifice


  • all
  • verb
  • noun

Synonyms for sacrifice

verb offer

Synonyms

  • offer
  • slaughter
  • offer up
  • immolate

verb give up

Synonyms

  • give up
  • abandon
  • relinquish
  • lose
  • surrender
  • let go
  • do without
  • renounce
  • forfeit
  • forego
  • say goodbye to

noun offering

Synonyms

  • offering
  • immolation
  • oblation
  • hecatomb

noun surrender

Synonyms

  • surrender
  • loss
  • giving up
  • resignation
  • rejection
  • waiver
  • abdication
  • renunciation
  • repudiation
  • forswearing
  • relinquishment
  • eschewal
  • self-denial

Synonyms for sacrifice

noun one or more living creatures slain and offered to a deity as part of a religious rite

Synonyms

  • hecatomb
  • immolation
  • offering
  • victim

noun a loss sustained in the accomplishment of or as the result of something

Synonyms

  • cost
  • expense
  • price
  • toll

verb to offer as a sacrifice

Synonyms

  • immolate
  • victimize

Synonyms for sacrifice

noun the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc

Synonyms

  • forfeit
  • forfeiture

Related Words

  • human action
  • human activity
  • act
  • deed

noun personnel that are sacrificed (e

Related Words

  • personnel casualty
  • loss

noun a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value

Related Words

  • loss

noun the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity

Synonyms

  • ritual killing

Related Words

  • animal
  • animate being
  • beast
  • creature
  • fauna
  • brute
  • kill
  • putting to death
  • killing
  • hecatomb
  • immolation

noun (baseball) an out that advances the base runners

Related Words

  • putout
  • sacrifice fly
  • baseball
  • baseball game

verb endure the loss of

Synonyms

  • give

Related Words

  • devote
  • pay
  • give
  • dedicate
  • commit
  • consecrate
  • relinquish
  • resign
  • give up
  • release
  • free

verb kill or destroy

Related Words

  • kill

verb sell at a loss

Related Words

  • sell

verb make a sacrifice of

Related Words

  • immolate
  • offer up
  • offer
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更新时间:2024/9/23 10:30:15