sacrifice

Definition of Sacrifice

(noun) Offering something of value (e.g., food; objects) to something supernatural, typically for appeasement or to gain favor.

Sacrifice Pronunciation

Pronunciation Usage Guide

Syllabification: sac·ri·fice

Audio Pronunciation

International Phonetic Alphabet

• American English – /ˈsækrəˌfaɪs/
• British English – /ˈsakrɪfʌɪs/

Usage Notes

• Plural: sacrifices
• Also called religious sacrifice.
• A (adjective) sacrificer (verb) sacrifices a (adjective) sacrificeable or (adjective) sacrificial objects (adverb) sacrificially.

Additional Information

• Word origin of “sacrifice” – Online Etymology Dictionary: etymonline.com
• Carter, Jeffrey, ed. 2003. Understanding Religious Sacrifice: A Reader. London: Continuum.
• Davies, Nigel. 1981. Human Sacrifice: In History and Today. New York: Morrow.

Related Terms

• atheism
• belief system
• cosmology
• divination
• ecclesia
• monotheism
• personified supernatural force
• prayer
• supernatural
• totemism
• transcendent value

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Cite the Definition of Sacrifice

ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sacrifice.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved May 29, 2023 (https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/).

APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)

sacrifice. (2014). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/

Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)

Bell, Kenton, ed. 2014. “sacrifice.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed May 29, 2023. https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/.

MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)

“sacrifice.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2014. Web. 29 May. 2023. <https://sociologydictionary.org/sacrifice/>.