baptism

[ bap-tiz-uhm ]
/ ˈbæp tɪz əm /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR baptism ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Ecclesiastical. a ceremonial immersion in water, or application of water, as an initiatory rite or sacrament of the Christian church.
any similar ceremony or action of initiation, dedication, etc.
a trying or purifying experience or initiation.
Christian Science. purification of thought and character.

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Origin of baptism

1250–1300; Middle English <Late Latin baptisma<Greek bapt(ízein) to baptize + -isma-ism; replacing Middle English bapteme<Old French <Late Latin, as above

OTHER WORDS FROM baptism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to baptism

debut, immersion, ritual, ablution, purification, purge, introduction, purgation, dedication, sprinkling, christening, sanctification, launching, rite of passage, lustration, baptismal, dunking

British Dictionary definitions for baptism

baptism
/ (ˈbæpˌtɪzəm) /

noun

a Christian religious rite consisting of immersion in or sprinkling with water as a sign that the subject is cleansed from sin and constituted as a member of the Church
the act of baptizing or of undergoing baptism
any similar experience of initiation, regeneration, or dedication

Derived forms of baptism

baptismal, adjectivebaptismally, adverb
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

Cultural definitions for baptism

baptism

The ceremony of initiation into Christianity; in most Christian churches, it is considered a sacrament. Persons baptized either have water poured on them or are immersed in water; some groups of Christians (see also Christian) insist on immersion. The effect of baptism, in Christian belief, is to cleanse persons of their sins, so that they are born into a new life with Jesus. Most churches baptize members when they are infants, but some groups, like the Baptists, insist on adult baptism. Jesus himself was baptized. (See John the Baptist.)

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.