baptism
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a Christian ceremony where water is used to welcome someone into the church and often to give them a name.
the Christian sacrament of admission to the church, typically involving the application of water to the candidate.
Simple“The family gathered at the small village church for the baby's baptism.”
In context“The theological debate centered on whether baptism should be performed on infants or reserved for adult believers who can profess their own faith.”
Synonyms - 02 C2 Proficiency
a ceremony or event where something is given a formal name.
the act or ceremony of naming an object, such as a ship or a new project.
Simple“The baptism of the new ocean liner involved breaking a bottle of champagne against its side.”
In context“The official baptism of the research facility was attended by several high-ranking government ministers and local dignitaries.”
Synonyms
From Middle English bapteme, baptesme, from Old French batesme or bapteme, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin baptisma, from Ancient Greek βάπτισμα (báptisma, “dipping, baptism”), from βαπτίζω (baptízō, “I dip in liquid”). Displaced native Old English fulwiht.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.