sacrifice JUST WRITTEN FOR YOU
/ˈsækɹɪfaɪs/ · sac·ri·fice
noun
- The offering of anything to a god; a consecratory rite. The ancient civilization performed a grand sacrifice to appease their deity.
- The destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else; the devotion of something desirable to something higher, or to a calling deemed more pressing. The sacrifice of one's spare time in order to volunteer for the charity event was a selfless act.
- Something sacrificed. The sacrifice of the animal was a necessary step in the ritual.
verb
- To offer (something) as a gift to a deity. The priest sacrificed a lamb to the gods.
- To give away (something valuable) to get at least a possibility of gaining something else of value (such as self-respect, trust, love, freedom, prosperity), or to avoid an even greater loss. Venison has many advantages over meat from factory farms, although it still requires a hunter to sacrifice the life of a deer.
- To trade (a value of higher worth) for something of lesser worth in order to gain something else valued more, such as an ally or business relationship, or to avoid an even greater loss; to sell without profit to gain something other than money. The company sacrificed its profit margins to secure a valuable partnership.
Did you know? The word 'sacrifice' has its roots in ancient Roman and Greek cultures, where it was used to describe the act of offering a gift to the gods in exchange for favor or protection.