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sacrifice

n. · v.
US //ˈsækɹəˌfaɪs// UK //sˈækɹɪfˌaɪs// sac·ri·fice
  1. 1 giving something up (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    the act of giving up something you value to help another person or to achieve a specific goal.

    the surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher claim.

    Example

    Her parents made many sacrifices so that she could go to a good university.

    Example

    The project's success required a significant sacrifice of personal time from every member of the development team.
  2. 2 religious offering (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    the act of killing an animal or offering an object to a god as part of a religious ceremony.

    the ritual slaughter of an animal or person, or the offering of a possession, as an act of propitiation or homage to a deity.

    Example

    In ancient times, people offered a sheep as a sacrifice to ensure a good harvest.

    Example

    The high priest performed the annual sacrifice at the altar to appease the gods and protect the city from plague.
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  1. 3 selling at a loss (n.)
    C1 Advanced Slang Informal

    selling something for much less money than it is actually worth.

    a sale of goods at a price significantly below their market value, typically resulting in a financial loss.

    Example

    He had to sell his car at a real sacrifice because he needed the cash immediately.

    Example

    The liquidator sold off the remaining inventory at a massive sacrifice to satisfy the primary creditors before the end of the fiscal year.
  2. 4 games and sports (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    an intentional move that loses a piece or a turn to get a better position later.

    the intentional loss of a piece in chess or a batter's out in baseball to gain a strategic advantage.

    Example

    The player made a clever sacrifice of his knight to trap the opponent's queen.

    Example

    The batter's sacrifice allowed the runner on third base to score the winning run in the final inning.
  3. 5 to give something up (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to give up something important for a special reason.

    to surrender or give up something for the sake of an alternative or higher priority.

    Example

    They had to sacrifice their summer holiday to pay for the house repairs.

    Example

    The architect refused to sacrifice the building's aesthetic integrity simply to reduce the construction costs.
  4. 6 to kill for science (v.)
    C1 Advanced Technical Science

    to kill an animal for a scientific experiment.

    to kill an animal for the purpose of scientific research or testing.

    Example

    The lab mice were sacrificed at the end of the study to examine their tissues.

    Example

    Ethical guidelines require that animals be sacrificed humanely once the experimental data has been collected.
    • euthanize
Etymology 1

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- Proto-Indo-European *-rós Proto-Indo-European *sh₂krós Proto-Italic *sakros Old Latin sacros Latin sacerder. Latin sacrum Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-der. Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁k-yé-ti Proto-Italic *θakjō Proto-Italic *fakjō Latin faciō Proto-Indo-European *-yós Proto-Italic *-ios Old Latin -ios Latin -ius Latin -ium Latin sacrificiumlbor. Old French sacrifisebor. Middle English sacrifice English sacrifice From Middle English sacrifice (“act of offering a life or object to a deity; the life or object so offered”), from Anglo-Norman sacrefiz, and Old French sacrifice, sacrifise (modern French sacrifice), from Latin sacrificium (“something offered to a deity, sacrifice”), from sacrum (“sacrifice, sacrificial rite”) + faciō (“to do, to make”) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The noun sacrum is the nominalized neuter of the adjective sacer (“devoted to a deity for sacrifice; holy, sacred”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European seh₂k- (“ceremony, ritual; to make sacred”), and the verb faciō is ultimately from Proto-Indo-European dʰeh₁- (“to do; to place, put”). Related Latin formations include sacrificus (“of or pertaining to sacrifice, sacrificial”) and sacrificō (“to make a sacrifice”). Cognates * Italian sagrifizio * Occitan sacrifici * Portuguese sacrificio * Spanish sacrificio

Etymology 2

From Middle English sacrificen (“to offer a sacrifice to a deity”), from sacrifice (see etymology 1) + -en (suffix forming infinitives of verbs).

Word family
  • VerbSAC
  • Nounsacrifice

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