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Added 6 October 2026

sacrificial

/ˈsæk.ɹɪ.fɪʃ.əl/ adjective

Categories: Describing WordsUncommon Words

Latin root: sacrificiālis Wiktionary

adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sacrificial at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

  1. Relating to sacrifice.
    The old sacrificial well is still there, but animals aren't thrown into it to appease monsters anymore.
  2. Used as a sacrifice.
    The sacrificial coating protects the hull, but because it takes the damage the hull doesn't, we must replace it annually.

Origin

Borrowed from Latin sacrificiālis (“sacrificial”), from sacrificium (“sacrifice”), from sacrificus (“sacrificial”), from sacrificō (“sacrifice”), from sacer (“sacred, holy”) + faciō (“do, make”). By surface analysis, sacrifice + -ial.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

Related Words: martyrdomfedayeeguerillacommandosuicidalsuicidefedayeensacrificeddevotionalexpiatorypropitiatoryatoning

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