auto-da-fé

American

[aw-toh-duh-fay] / ˌɔ toʊ dəˈfeɪ /

noun

the public declaration of the judgment passed on persons tried in the courts of the Spanish Inquisition, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed, especially the burning of condemned heretics at the stake.

auto-da-fé British

/ ˌɔːtəʊdəˈfeɪ /

noun

history a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition including the pronouncement and execution of sentences passed on sinners or heretics
the burning to death of people condemned as heretics by the Inquisition

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

autos-da-fé

plural

Etymology

Origin of auto-da-fé

1715–25; < Portuguese: act of the faith

Vocabulary lists containing auto-da-fe

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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.

See Examples For:

auto-da-fé autos-da-fé

An acrobatic jester figure, his face painted skull-white, restores to the auto-da-fé scene some of its intended spookiness.

From New York Times ● Mar. 1, 2022

When orchestra rehearsals started Feb. 14, Nézet-Séguin shortened a 16th note here, lengthened an eighth note there as he sang the vocals — including the Celestial Voice ending the auto-da-fé.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022

After characterizing it as a 21st-century auto-da-fé on Twitter, op-ed writer Bari Weiss first argued it was evidence of an out of control PC culture on campus.

From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2018

The Middle East has seen a collective auto-da-fé, the self-immolation of society after society, with no end in sight.

From Slate ● Nov. 11, 2016

The prettiest thing of this kind is the report of the procedure in the Spanish auto-da-fé of Logroño, as furnished to us by Llorente.

From La Sorcière: The Witch of the Middle Ages by Jules Michelet

Seven out of eighteen autos-da-fé presided over by the famous Inquisitor, Bernard Gui, decreed no severer penalty than imprisonment.

From The Inquisition A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the Church by Bertrand L. (Bertrand Louis) Conway

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023