Moloch

[ moh-lok, mol-uhk ]

noun

1. (in the Bible) a deity whose worship was marked by the sacrifice of children by their own parents.
2. anything conceived of as requiring appalling sacrifice:

   the Moloch of war.

3. moloch, a spiny agamid lizard, Moloch horridus, of Australian deserts, that resembles the horned lizard.

Moloch

¹

/ ˈməʊlɒk; ˈməʊlɛk /

noun

1. Old Testament a Semitic deity to whom parents sacrificed their children

moloch

²

/ ˈməʊlɒk /

noun

1. a spiny Australian desert-living lizard, Moloch horridus, that feeds on ants: family Agamidae (agamas) Also calledmountain devilspiny lizard

Moloch

1. A Canaanite idol who demanded the sacrifice of first-born children. The Old Testament prophets railed against the worship of Moloch by the Israelites .

Notes

Moloch also appears as one of the fallen angels in Milton's Paradise Lost and as a malevolent figure in other allegorical works of literature.

By extension, a “Moloch” is something that has the power to exact extreme sacrifice.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Moloch¹

From Late Latin, from Greek Molóch, from Hebrew Mōlekh, which has the consonants of melekh “king” and the vowels of bōsheth “shame” (caused by idolatry and human sacrifice)

Example Sentences

Will Moloch, the Eater of Children and America's gun god, ever be satisfied with all the human sacrifices to it?

From Salon

I don’t quite get the demonic myth that fuels “Moloch”; it’s got biblical roots and has something to do with a hungry female spirit.

From New York Times

We have to make that offering, out of devotion to our Moloch, our god.

From Salon

Like Moloch, the ancient pagan god, Donald Trump is ever ready to demand that Americans sacrifice themselves for his greater good.

From The Guardian

Suddenly, the ghosts of Thomas Malthus and Jeremy Bentham have become priests for the 21st-century Moloch, and have haunted American public conversation about coronavirus.

From The Guardian