Moloch

American  

[moh-lok, mol-uhk] / ˈmoʊ lɒk, ˈmɒl ək /

Also Molech

noun

1. (in the Bible) a deity whose worship was marked by the sacrifice of children by their own parents.

2. anything conceived of as requiring appalling sacrifice.

   the Moloch of war.

3. moloch, a spiny agamid lizard, Moloch horridus, of Australian deserts, that resembles the horned lizard.

---

Moloch ¹ British  

/ ˈməʊlɒk, ˈməʊlɛk /

noun

1. Old Testament a Semitic deity to whom parents sacrificed their children

---

moloch ² British  

/ ˈməʊlɒk /

noun

1. Also called: mountain devil.   spiny lizard.  a spiny Australian desert-living lizard, Moloch horridus, that feeds on ants: family Agamidae (agamas)

---

Moloch Cultural  

1. A Canaanite idol who demanded the sacrifice of first-born children. The Old Testament prophets railed against the worship of Moloch by the Israelites.

---

Discover More

Moloch also appears as one of the fallen angels in Milton's Paradise Lost and as a malevolent figure in other allegorical works of literature.

By extension, a “Moloch” is something that has the power to exact extreme sacrifice.

Etymology

Origin of Moloch

From Late Latin, from Greek Molóch, from Hebrew Mōlekh, which has the consonants of melekh “king” and the vowels of bōsheth “shame” (caused by idolatry and human sacrifice)

Example Sentences

The Moloch sculpture, currently in Berlin, is the centerpiece of a planned exhibition titled, with cold outrage, “Russkiy Mir.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 17, 2023

"It is not the time" to question Moloch.

From Salon • May 27, 2022

Their most enthusiastic defender was J Michael Straczynski, who wrote the Nite Owl, Moloch, and Dr Manhattan prequels.

From The Guardian • Dec. 23, 2019

Now it’s all about sacrifice: Crane wants Henry to sacrifice Moloch and be free from those devilish ties.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 2, 2014

So the sacrifices, for a long time past, have been, as usual, my correspondence, and as the most tender morsels for the Moloch you and William naturally en premi�re ligne.

From The Letters of Henry James (volume I) by James, Henry