Moloch

American  

[moh-lok, mol-uhk] / ˈmoʊ lɒk, ˈmɒl ək /

Also Molech

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.

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moloch ¹ British  

/ ˈməʊlɒk /

noun

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

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Moloch ² British  

/ ˈməʊlɒk, ˈməʊlɛk /

noun

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

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Moloch Cultural  

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.

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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.

Etymology

Origin of Moloch

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

The Moloch sculpture, currently in Berlin, is the centerpiece of a planned exhibition titled, with cold outrage, “Russkiy Mir.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2023

"It is not the time" to question Moloch.

From Salon • May 27, 2022

Their most enthusiastic defender was J Michael Straczynski, who wrote the Nite Owl, Moloch, and Dr Manhattan prequels.

From The Guardian • Dec. 23, 2019

Moloch is impatient, wanting to get on with his end-of-the-world soiree, so he sends the battered Henry to retrieve the sword and the A-Team.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2014

Then, again, according to some writers, the name is synonymous with Moloch, the God of war among the Greeks.

From The World's Sixteen Crucified Saviors Or, Christianity Before Christ by Graves, Kersey