Main Entry:

¹sac·ri·fice

Pronunciation:

\ˈsa-krə-ˌfīs, also -fəs or -ˌfīz\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make — more at do

Date:

13th century

1: an act of offering to a deity something precious ; especially : the killing of a victim on an altar2: something offered in sacrifice3 a: destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b: something given up or lost <the sacrifices made by parents>4: loss <goods sold at a sacrifice>5: sacrifice hit