Etymologically
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sacrifico

Etymology and origin of the Latin word sacrifico

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Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
Ennius
Ultimate origin
Proto-Indo-European (*sh₂k-)

Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [saˈkrɪ.fɪ.koː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [saˈkriː.fi.ko][1]

Forms

sacrificō (present infinitive sacrificāre, perfect active sacrificāvī, supine sacrificātum); first conjugation[1] Also deponent sacrificor, and the early by-form sacrufico.[2][3]

Etymology

It is from sacer “sacred” and -ficō from faciō “to make”, and Gaffiot derives it from sacrificus.[2][1][4] De Vaan traces ⟨sacer⟩ to Proto-Italic *sakro- (“sacred”), with Oscan ⟨σακορο⟩ and Umbrian ⟨sacru⟩ as cognates.[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The OLD's earliest citations are Ennius, of offering up, and Plautus, of sacrificing.[2] Köbler dates Ennius 204–169 BC and Plautus c. 250–184 BC.[6]

Semantic evolution

It meant intransitively to perform a sacrifice, as in Plautus, Cicero and Livy's maiōribus hostiīs sacrificāre “to sacrifice with full-grown victims”, and transitively to offer up as a sacrifice, as in Ennius.[2][4]

In Ecclesiastical Latin it means to sacrifice, offer up, make an offering.[7]

Timeline

  • c. 250–184 BC – Plautus uses it.[2][6]
  • 204–169 BC – Ennius uses it transitively.[2][6]
  • 81–43 BC – Cicero uses it.[4][6]

Meanings

Verb

  1. To perform a sacrifice.[2][3]
  2. To offer up (as a sacrifice).[2][7]

Word family

  • sacrificātiō
  • sacrificātor
  • sacrificātus
  • sacrificulus
  • sacrificus

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  4. ^ a b c Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  5. ^ de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  6. ^ a b c d Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  7. ^ a b Stelten, Leo F. (1995), Dictionary of Ecclesiastical Latin, Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson
Cite this entry

“Sacrifico.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/la/sacrifico. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·