baptize

especially British, bap·tise

[bap-tahyz, bap-tahyz]

verb (used with object)

baptized, baptizing 

1. to immerse in water or sprinkle or pour water on in the Christian rite of baptism.

   They baptized the new baby.

2. to cleanse spiritually; initiate or dedicate by purifying.

3. to give a name to at baptism; christen.

verb (used without object)

baptized, baptizing 

1. to administer baptism.

baptize

/ bæpˈtaɪz /

verb

1. Christianity to immerse (a person) in water or sprinkle water on (a person) as part of the rite of baptism

2. (tr) to give a name to; christen

3. (tr) to cleanse; purify

Other Word Forms

• baptizable adjective
• baptizement noun
• baptizer noun
• rebaptize verb
• self-baptizer noun
• unbaptized adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of baptize¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Late Latin baptizāre, from Greek baptízein “to immerse,” from bápt(ein) “to dip” + -izein -ize

Word History and Origins

Origin of baptize¹

C13: from Late Latin baptīzāre , from Greek baptizein , from baptein to bathe, dip

Example Sentences

Miraculous moments in the story, such as water welling from a rock where Patrick later baptizes people, play out in a quiet tone.

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Catholicism is the faith I was baptized in, the one I embraced as a teen and that’s the bedrock for my moral code of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable.

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He has long denied being a Satan worshipper, as some critics insisted, and he once told an interviewer he was a baptized Christian.

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“As a missionary, we didn’t have to receive special permission from somebody in order to baptize an undocumented individual,” she recalled.

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To this day, at the start of every new season in Statesboro, any new players or coaches are “baptized” in its magical waters.

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Related Words

• immerse