sacrifice

Forms

sacrifice m (plural sacrifices)^[1] Old French sacrefise (1119), sacrifise (about 1120) and sacrefice (about 1155); sacrifice from the end of the 14th century.^[2][3] Anglo-Norman also sacrefiz and sacrifize.^[4]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin sacrificium (“offering to a god”), from sacrificō (“to sacrifice”).^[5][3][6][1] Christian writers used the Latin noun also for the Eucharistic sacrifice, the Mass and the consecrated bread.^[5] Littré explains the Latin noun as a compound of Latin sacer (“sacred”) and faciō (“to make”), “the making of a sacred work”, and Old French also had sacrifiement.^[7]

Cognate with Walloon sacrifieg, Occitan sacrifici, Spanish sacrificio and Italian sagrifizio.^[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The first record, as sacrefise in Philippe de Thaon's Comput (1119), has the sense “offering to a god”.^[5][2]

Semantic evolution

In the first half of the 12th century the word was used of Christ's death for the redemption of mankind;^[5][8] le sacrifice de Jesus-Christ is recorded by the Académie in 1694, and saint sacrifice for the Mass in Bossuet (1670).^[5][8] By metonymy it also meant the victim offered (about 1155), and about 1180 it began to be used of pagan worship;^[8][2] sacrifice sanglant is found in 1680 and sacrifice humain in the 18th century.^[8][2]

In 1651 Pascal uses it for a voluntary renunciation, the figurative sense that is now common.^[5][8] The idea of giving something up reached painting (1812, for leaving parts of a picture in shadow to bring out others) and, in the plural, everyday life for expenses one imposes on oneself (1835).^[8] The adjective sacrificiel dates from 1931, in Bernanos.^[5]

Timeline

• 1119 – Sacrefise appears in Philippe de Thaon's Comput.^[5]
• c. 1120 – Sacrifise in the Oxford Psalter.^[2]
• 1st half of the 12th century – Used of the death of Christ.^[5]
• Late 14th century – The spelling sacrifice, in Eustache Deschamps.^[2]
• 1651 – Pascal uses it for voluntary renunciation.^[5]
• 1670 – Bossuet writes saint sacrifice for the Mass.^[5]
• 1680 – Richelet records sacrifice sanglant.^[2]
• 1835 – The plural for expenses one imposes on oneself.^[8]
• 1931 – Bernanos uses the derivative sacrificiel.^[5]

Meanings

Noun

1. A ritual offering to a god, by the killing of a victim or the giving up of things: sacrifices humains, offrir un sacrifice, as in On immolait un taureau en sacrifice.^[9][5]
2. (Christianity) The death of Christ on the cross;^[9][5] le saint sacrifice: the Mass.^[9][5]
3. A voluntary giving up of something for a cause or a person, self-denial, as in Elle a fait beaucoup de sacrifices pour ses études.^[9][5]
4. (plural) Money one gives up or spends with difficulty, privations.^[9][8]

Word family

• sacrificiel

Related words

• sacrifier
• sacrificateur
• sacré
• Latin sacrificium
• English sacrifice

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
3. ^ a b Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
6. ^ Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
8. ^ a b c d e f g h Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert