expiation
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of expiation
1375–1425; late Middle English expiacioun < Latin expiātiōn- (stem of expiātiō ) atonement, satisfaction. See expiate, -ion
Explanation
The act of expiation is a way to atone for something you did that was wrong. It was originally used in a religious context, with expiation the way a person could gain forgiveness from a god. If you've ever tried to make up for something you did wrong, then you understand the notion of expiation. The idea of atonement stretches across all religions, from Judaism’s Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) to perhaps the most famous example of expiation, the Christian doctrine of Christ dying to absolve the world's sins. You definitely don't need to be religious to seek expiation. People who commit crimes and even make small mistakes seek expiation every day.
Vocabulary lists containing expiation
The Scarlet Letter
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Oedipus the King
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A Tale of Two Cities
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Expiation and consolation come when, after years spent in America, Joachim returns to Germany, settles down to be a fisherman.
From Time Magazine Archive
If he had had to do this, it would have been part of what is called Expiation.
From Oswald Bastable and Others by Brock, C. E. (Charles Edmund)
Berel took another look at the Prayer of Expiation.
From Yiddish Tales by Various
Expiation, or atonement, was no longer accomplished by the exact performance of certain ceremonies pleasing to the gods and required by a sacred code like a penalty for damages, but by privation and personal suffering.
From The Oriental Religions in Roman Paganism by Cumont, Franz
Expiation by suffering What must the end be?
From Science and Health, with Key to the Scriptures by Eddy, Mary Baker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
