immolate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to sacrifice.
-
to kill as a sacrificial victim, as by fire; offer in sacrifice.
-
to destroy by fire.
verb
-
to kill or offer as a sacrifice, esp by fire
-
literary to sacrifice (something highly valued)
Other Word Forms
- immolation noun
- immolator noun
- unimmolated adjective
Etymology
Origin of immolate
1540–50; < Latin immolātus, past participle of immolāre to sprinkle with holy meal prior to sacrificing, sacrifice, equivalent to im- im- 1 + mol ( a ) sacrificial barley cake, literally, millstone ( mill 1 ) + -ātus -ate 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
She was spicy without immolating her targets, respectful without feeling phony or fawning.
From Salon
Bankman-Fried’s personal fortune has been immolated over only a few days of turmoil.
From Los Angeles Times
And “Nothing Compares,” which debuted at Sundance, is bringing O’Connor’s story to a generation of viewers who weren’t yet alive when she immolated her career at 30 Rock.
From Los Angeles Times
It gets weirder: Some giant planets that spark star-killing ejections may also bring new worlds into existence as they are immolated in the stellar furnace.
From New York Times
My love of all things charred, blackened, browned and otherwise immolated runs deep.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
