piacular
Americanadjective
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expiatory; atoning; reparatory.
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requiring expiation; sinful or wicked.
adjective
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making expiation for a sacrilege
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requiring expiation
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of piacular
First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin piāculāris “(of a rite or sacrifice) expiatory, atoning,” equivalent to piācul(um) “expiatory offering, sacrificial victim,” derivative of piā(re) “to propitiate a god, expiate,” derivative of pius “dutiful, faithful (to the gods, one’s country, family, kindred and friends)” + -culum neuter noun suffix for instruments and places + -āris adjective suffix; see -cle 2, -ar 1
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.
The Athenians had that deep consciousness of sin and guilt, and of consequent liability to punishment, which confesses the need of expiation by piacular sacrifices.
From Christianity and Greek Philosophy or, the relation between spontaneous and reflective thought in Greece and the positive teaching of Christ and His Apostles by Cocker, B. F. (Benjamin Franklin)
So in the piacular sacrifice when a clearing is made, the unknown deity is addressed in the last words of the prayer thus: "harum rerum ergo macte hoc porco piaculo immolando esto."
From The Religious Experience of the Roman People From the Earliest Times to the Age of Augustus by Fowler, W. Warde
The Carnea appears to have been at once agrarian, military and piacular in character.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 3 "Capefigue" to "Carneades" by Various
And in like manner in Egypt the piacular sacrifice of the cow-goddess Isis-Hathor was a bull, and the sacrifice was accompanied by lamentations as at the funeral of a kinsman.”
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.
The most curious developments of piacular sacrifice take place in the worship of deities of the totem type.
From The Eliminator; or, Skeleton Keys to Sacerdotal Secrets by Westbrook, Richard B.
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.
