burnt offering

American  

noun

1. an offering burnt upon an altar in sacrifice to a deity.

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burnt offering British  

noun

1. a sacrificial offering burnt, usually on an altar, to honour, propitiate, or supplicate a deity

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Etymology

Origin of burnt offering

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400

Example Sentences

In the end, the burnt offering of a staffer’s character is not enough.

From Washington Post

Someone should give Zeus a burnt offering.

From New York Times

I recently learned that the Latin word “holocaustum” means a “burnt offering to the gods.”

From New York Times

But this novel is not simply a burnt offering, a Baedeker of dread and decay.

From New York Times

God tests Abraham by instructing him to “take your son, your only son, whom you love” to a certain mountain; there the precious Isaac must be slain and incinerated as a “burnt offering” to the Creator.

From Economist

Related Words

• aroma
• odor
• perfume
• scent