Immolate
/ˈɪm.ə.leɪt/noun
To kill or destroy, especially as a sacrifice, often by fire.
Did you know?The Latin ancestor *immolāre* originally referred to sprinkling sacrificial meal called *mola salsa* on an offering before killing it, so the word’s dark modern meaning grew out of a holy ritual act.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to grind, crush, or rub down”
Latin
Latin
mola
“grist or meal; ground grain”
Latin
Latin
mola salsa
“salted sacrificial meal used in Roman ritual”
Latin
Latin
immolāre
“to sprinkle with sacrificial meal before sacrifice; to offer up”
Late Latin
Latin
immolāre
“to sacrifice, put to death as an offering”
Middle English
English
immolaten
“to sacrifice, especially by fire”
Modern English
English
immolate
“to kill or destroy as a sacrifice, especially by burning”
Explore more surprising origins