sacre 
sacreH (sa'ker), !'. t. [<ME. sacrcit, sakeren, < 
OF. (and F.) sacrer = Pr. OSp. Pg. sagrar = It. 
sagrare, sacrare, < L. sacrare, render sacred, 
consecrate, < sacer, sacred. Cf. sacrate, and see 
sacred, orig. the pp. of sacre 1 . From the same 
source are ult. E. sacrament, sacrifice, sacrilege, 
sacristan, sexton, sacerdotal, consecrate, dese- 
crate, obsecrate, etc.] To hallow; dedicate; de- 
vote; set apart; consecrate. 
Than Vter went to logres, and alle the prelates of the 
cherche, and ther was he soared and crowned. 
Merlin (E. E. T. S.X i. 57. 
Amongst other reliques the Monkes shew'd us is the 
Holy Ampoule, the same w"i that which meres their 
Kings at Rhemes, this being the one that anoynted Hen. 
IV. Evelyn, Diary, June 6, 1644. 
sacred (sa'ker), . [ME., < OF. sacre, a conse- 
cration, sacred service, < sacrer, consecrate: 
see sacre 1 , \] A sacred solemnity or service. 
For the feast and for the sacre. 
The Isle of Ladies, 1. 2135. 
sacred' (sa'kred), . [< ME. sacred, i-sacred, pp. 
of scmi,renderholy: seesocre 1 .] 1. Hallowed, 
consecrated, or made holy by association with 
divinity or divine things, or by solemn religious 
ceremony or sanction ; set apart, dedicated, or 
appropriated to holy or religious purposes or 
service ; regarded as holy or under divine pro- 
tection : as, a sacred place ; a sacred day ; sacred 
service; the sacred lotus. 
Whan the barouns saugh Arthur comynge, thei dressed 
alle hem a-geyn hym for that he was a kynge a-noynted 
and sacred. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), i. 110. 
Sacred king, 
Be deaf to his known malice. 
Ford, 1'erkin Warbeck, iii. 4. 
When the Sacred Ship returns from Delos, and is tele- 
graphed as entering into port, may we be at peace and 
ready ! Thackeray, Philip, xvii. 
2. Devoted, dedicated, or consecrated with 
pious or filial intent : with to : as, a monument 
sacred to the memory of some one. 
A temple sacred to the queen of love. 
Dryden, Pal. and Arc., ii. 459. 
3f. Devoted to destruction or infamy ; execra- 
ble ; accursed ; infamous. [A Latinism. J 
O sacred hunger of ambitious mimics. 
And impotent desire of men to raine ! 
Spenser, V, Q., V. xii. 1. 
Sacred wit. 
To villany and vengeance consecrate. 
Shah., Tit. And., ii. 1. 120. 
Sacred thirst of gold. Dryden, .Sneid, iii. 
4. Of or pertaining to religion or divine things ; 
relating to the service or will of the deity : op- 
posed to secular and profane : as, sacred music ; 
sacred history. 
In their sacred bookes or Kalendars they ordained That 
their names should be written after their death. 
Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 53. 
Smit with the love of sacred song. 
Milton, P. L., iii. 29. 
5. Entitled to consideration, respect, or rever- 
ence; not to be thoughtlessly treated or in- 
truded upon ; venerable. 
There is something sacred in misery to great and good 
minds. Steele, Spectator, No. 456. 
With a soul that ever felt the sting 
Of sorrow, sorrow is a sacred thing. 
Cowper, Retirement, 1. 316. 
To a feather-brained school-girl nothing is sacred. 
Charlotte Bronte, Villette, xx. 
Hence 6. To be kept inviolate ; not to be vio- 
lated, profaned, or made common ; inviolate. 
Let thy oaths be sacred. 
Sir T. Browne, Christ. Mor., iii. 19. 
The sacred rights of property are to be guarded at every 
point. I call them sacred because, if they are unpro- 
tected, all other rights become worthless or visionary. 
Story, Misc. Writings, p. 519. 
7. Not amenable to punishment; enjoying im- 
munity: as, the king's person is sacred sa- 
cred ape or monkey, a semnopithecoid ; any member 
of the genus Semnoptt/tecus. The animal to which the 
name specially applies is the hanuman or entellus mon- 
key of India, S. entellus. The name also extends to some 
other monkeys which receive similar attentions, as the 
bunder or rhesus macaque, Macacus rhesus, and the tala- 
poin. See cuts under enttllus, rhesus, and talapoin. 
Sacred ax, bamboo, bean. See the nouns. Sacred 
baboon, the hamadryad, d/nocephalus hamadryas, ven- 
erated in Egypt, and often sculptured on tombs and monu- 
ments. This animal played an important part in Egyptian 
theology and priestcraft. Sacred bark, cascara sagrada 
bark. See 6art2._s acre( i beetle, an Egyptian scarab, 
Scarabseus sacer, held sacred in antiquity. See scarab, 
and cuts under Scarabseus and Copris. Sacred cat, the 
house-cat of Egypt, formerly venerated in that country as 
the representative of the goddess Pasht, and mummied in 
vast numbers at BubastU. The " cat-cemeteries " recently 
opened at this place have furnished so many of these ob- 
jects that they have become of commercial value as a fer- 
tilizer. This kind of cat is also interesting as indicating 
5294 
the origin of the present domestic cats from the Felii 
maniculatus of Ruppell, a native of Abyssinia. This is a 
true feline, apparently first domesticated in Egypt. The 
animal whose classic name (aiAoi>po{ ) has commonly been 
translated cat was quite different, being either a musteline 
or a viverrine. See jElurus, catl. Sacred college, fig, 
fir. See the nouns. Sacred fish, the mizdeh, oxyrnynch, 
or mormyre of the Nile, Mormyrusoxyrhynchus, venerated 
and mummied by the ancient Egyptians for the reason 
stated under Mttrmyrus. Some other fishes of the same 
river were also held in religious esteem, as the electrical 
catfish, Malapterttrus electricus, and the bichir, Polyptf 
rus bichir. Some such fish surmounts the head of Isis 
in some of her representations. See cut under Malap- 
terurus. Sacred geography. See geography. Sacred 
glosses, Heart, history. See glass?, heart, history. Sa- 
cred Ibis, Ibis religiosa, venerated and mummied by the 
Egyptians. See cut under ibis. Sacred lotus, fielumbium 
specwsum. See lotus, 1. Sacred majestyt, a title once 
applied to the kings of England. Sacred music, music 
of a religious character or connected with religious wor- 
ship: opposed to secular music. Sacred place, in ciril 
law, the place where a person is buried. Sacred vulture. 
See vulture. = Syn. Sacred, Holy. Holy is stronger and 
more absolute than any word of cognate meaning. That 
which is sacred may derive its sanction from man ; that 
which is holy has its sanctity directly from God or as con- 
nected with him. Hence we speak of the Holy Bible, and 
the sacred writings of the Hindus. He who is holy is abso- 
lutely or essentially free from sin ; sacred is not a word 
of personal character. The opposite of holy is sinful or 
vricked; that of sacred is secular, profane, or common. 
sacredly (sii'kred-li), adv. In a sacred manner. 
(a) With due reverence; religiously: as, to observe the 
Sabbath sacredly; the day is sacredly kept. (6) Inviolably ; 
strictly : as, to observe one's word sacredly ; a secret to 
be sacredly kept. 
sacredness (sa'kred-nes), . [< sacred + -ness.'] 
The state or character of being sacred, in any 
sense. 
sacrett (sa'kret), . [< OF. sacret, dim. of sacre, 
saker: see saker 1 .'] In falconry, same&ssakeret. 
sacrific 1 (sa-krif'ik), a. [= Pg. It. sacrifice, < 
L. sacrificus, pertaining to sacrifice, < sacrificare, 
sacrifice: see sacrify.] Employed in sacrifice. 
Johnson. 
sacrific 2 (sa-krif'ik), a. [< NL. sacrum, sacrum, 
+ L. -ficus, < facere, make.] In anat., entering 
into the composition of the sacrum: as, a sa- 
crific vertebra. [Rare.] 
sacrificablet (sa-krif 'i-ka-bl), a. [= Sp. sacri- 
ficable = Pg. sdcrificavel'; as sacrific 1 + -able.] 
Capable of being offered in sacrifice. 
Although his [ Jepthah's] vow run generally for the words 
" Whatsoever shall come forth," &c., yet might it be re- 
strained in the sense, for whatsoever was sacrificeable, and 
justly subject to lawfull immolation. 
Sir T. Bromte, Vulg. Err., v. 14. 
sacrifical (sa-krif'i-kal), a. [< L. sacrificalift, 
pertaining to sacrifice, < sacrificare, sacrifice : 
see sacrify.] Same as sacrific'. 
sacrificant (sa-krif'i-kant), n. [< L. sacrifi- 
can(t-)s, ppr. of sacrificare, sacrifice: see sac- 
rifice.'] One who offers a sacrifice. 
Homer did believe there were certain evil demons, who 
took pleasure in fumes and nidours of sacrifices ; and that 
they were ready, as a reward, to gratify the sacrificants 
with the destruction of any person, if they so desired it. 
HallyweU, Melarnpronoea, p. 102. 
Sacrificati (sak'ri-fi-ka'ti), ii.pl. [L., prop, 
pp. pi. of sacrificare, sacrifice: see sacrifice.] 
In the early church, Christians who sacrificed to 
idols in times of persecution, but returned to the 
church when the persecution was ended, and 
were received as penitents. 
sacrificationt (sak'ri-fi-ka'shgn), n. [< L. sac- 
rificatio(n-), a sacrifice, < sacrificare, sacrifice : 
see sacrify.] The act of sacrificing. 
son ! since through the will of God I am thy father, 
and since to him I must again resign thee, generously 
suffer this sacrification. 
Dr. A. Oeddes, Pref. to Trans, of the Bible, p. ix. 
sacrificatort (sak'ri-fi-ka-tor), n. [LL. sacrifi- 
cator, < L. sacrificare, sacrifice: see sacrify.~] 
One who offers a sacrifice. 
It being therefore a sacrifice so abominable unto God, 
although he had pursued it, it is not probable the priests 
and wisdom of Israel would have permitted it : and that 
not only in regard of the subject or sacrifice itself, but also 
the sacrificator, which the picture makes to be Jepthah. 
Sir T. Brotcne, Vulg. Err., v. 14. 
sacrify 
an expression of thanksgiving 
penitence, or reconciliation. ! 
, consecration, 
lee offer in ;/. 
sacrificatory (sa-krif'i-ka-to-ri), a. [= F. sa- 
crificatoire, < ML. *sacrificatorius, < L. sacrifi- 
care, pp. sacrificattis, sacrifice: see sacrify. J 
Offering sacrifice. Sherwood. 
sacrifice (sak'ri-fls or-fiz), n. [< ME. sacrifice, 
sacrifise, < OF. (and F.) sacrifice = Pr. sacrifici 
= Sp. Pg. sacrificio = It. sagrifizio, < L. sacri- 
Jicium, a sacrifice, lit. 'a rendering sacred,' < 
sacer, sacred, + facere, make: see sacre 1 and 
fact. Cf. sacrify.'] 1. The offering of anything 
to a deity; a consecratory rite. 
Great pomp, and sacrifice, and praises loud 
To Dagon. Milton, S. A., 1. 436. 
2. That which is sacrificed; specifically, that 
which is consecrated and offered to a deity as 
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of 
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, 
acceptable unto Ood, which is your reasonable service. 
Rom. xii. 1. 
This way the devil used to evacuate the death of Christ, 
that we might have affiance in other things, as in the daily 
sacrifice of the priest. Latimer, Sermon of the Plough. 
Moloch, horrid king, besmear'd with blood 
Of human sacrifice. Milton, I'. L., i. 893. 
3. The destruction, surrender, or giving up of 
some prized or desirable thing in behalf of a 
higher object, or to a claim considered more 
pressing ; the loss incurred by devotion to some 
other person or interest ; also, the thing so de- 
voted or given up. 
He made a sacrifice of his friendship to his interest. 
Johnson, Diet. 
4. Surrender or loss of profit. [Shopkeepers' 
cant.] 
Its patterns were last year's, and going at a sacrifice. 
Dickens, Chimes, ii. 
Eucharistic sacrifice, sacrifice of the mass, the sac- 
rifice of the body and mood of Christ, which, according 
to the doctrine of the Roman Catholic and other churches, 
the priest, in the celebration of the mass or eucharist, 
offers as a propitiation for Bin and as a means of obtaining 
all graces and blessings from God. See Roman Catholic 
Church, under Roman. Sacrifice hit, in base-ball, a hit 
made by the hatter not for the purpose of gaining a base 
himself, but to enable another player already on one of 
the bases to score or to gain a base. 
sacrifice (sak'ri-fiz or -fis), r. ; pret. and pp. 
sacrificed , ppr. sacrificing. [< sacrifice, n.] I. 
trans. 1. To make an offering or sacrifice of; 
present as an expression of thanksgiving, con- 
secration, penitence, or reconciliation. 
From the herd or nock 
Oft sacrificing bullock, lamb, or kid. 
Milton, P. L., xii. 20. 
2. To surrender, give up, or suffer to be lost 
or destroyed for the sake of something else. 
My Lady will be enrag'd beyond Bounds, and sacrifice 
Neice, and Fortune, and all at that Conjuncture. 
Congreve, Way of the World, ill. 18. 
Party sacrifices man to the measure. 
Emerson, Fortune of the Republic. 
3. To dispose of regardless of gain or advan- 
tage. [Shopkeepers^ cant.]=Syn. 1. Sacrifice, Im- 
molate. By the original meaning, sacrifice might apply 
to offerings of any sort, but immolate only to sacrifices of 
life : this distinction still continues, except that, as most 
sacrifices have been the offering of life, sacrifice has 
come to mean that presumably. It has taken on several 
figurative meanings, while immolate has come to seem 
a strong word, especially appropriate to the offering of a 
large number of lives or of a valuable life. Immolation 
is naturally for propitiation, while sacrifice may be for 
that or only for worship. 
II. intratis. To offer up a sacrifice ; make of- 
ferings to a deity, especially by the slaughter 
and burning of victims, or of some part of them, 
on an altar. 
They which sacrificed to the god Lunas were accounted 
their wines Masters. Purchas, Pilgrimage, p. 75. 
Whilst he [Alexander] was sacrificing they fell upon 
him, and had almost smothered him with Boughs of Palm 
trees and Citron trees. Milton, Ans. to Salmasius. 
sacrifice! (sak'ri-fi-zer), . [< sacrifice + -cr 1 .] 
1. One who sacrifices. 
The eleuenth and last persecution generally of the 
Church was enduring the gouernement of the Emperour 
Julianus, which was an idolater, and sacrificer to the diuel. 
Guevara, Letters (tr. by Hellowes, 1577), p. 401. 
Let us be sacrificers, but not butchers. 
Shak., J. C., ii. 1. 166. 
2. Specifically, a priest. 
So fraud was used, the sacrificer '* trade, 
Fools are more hard to conquer than persuade. 
Dryden, Abs. and Achit., 1. 125. 
sacrificial (sak-ri-fish'al), n. [< L. sacrificing, 
sacrifice, + -al.~] Of, "pertaining to, or used in 
sacrifice; concerned -with sacrificing; consist- 
ing in or including sacrifice: as, sacrificial 
robes ; a sacrificial meal. 
Now, the observation which Tertullian makes upon these 
sacrificial rites is pertinent to this rule. 
Jer. Taylor, Worthy Communicant. 
sacrificially (sak-ri-fish'al-i), adv. As regards 
sacrifices ; after the manner of a sacrifice, 
sacrifyt (sak'ri-fi), r. t. and t. [ME. sacrifien, < 
OF. (and F.) sacrifier = Pr. sticrificar, saerifiar 
= Sp. Pg. sacrificar = It. sagrificare, sacrificare, 
< L. sacrificare, offer sacrifice (cf . sacrificus, per- 
taining to sacrifice), < sacer, sacred, + facere, 
make. Cf . sacrifice, sacrification.'] To sacrifice. 
She . . . seyde that she wolde sncrifye, 
And whanne she myghte hire tyme wel espye, 
Upon the fire of sacrifice she sterte. 
Chmicer, Good Women, 1. 1348. 
In the whiche he sacrefied first his blissid body and his 
flessh by his Bisshoppe fosephe that he sacred with his 
owene handc. Merlin (E. E. T. S.), iii. 502. 
