Tophet

American  

[toh-fit, -fet] / ˈtoʊ fɪt, -fɛt /

Or Topheth

noun

Bible.

1. a place in the valley of Hinnom, near Jerusalem, where, contrary to the law, children were offered as sacrifices, especially to Moloch. It was later used as a dumping ground for refuse.

2. the place of punishment for the wicked after death; hell.

3. some place, condition, etc., likened to hell.

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Tophet British  

/ ˈtəʊfɛt /

noun

1. Old Testament a place in the valley immediately to the southwest of Jerusalem; the Shrine of Moloch, where human sacrifices were offered

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Etymology

Origin of Tophet

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, ultimately derived from Hebrew tōpheth a placename

Example Sentences

A domain larger than Belgium, wilder than Abyssinia, more visited than Rome, colder than Moose Factory and hotter than Tophet, a fabulously scenic empire scattered over half a continent, quietly changed hands last week.

From Time Magazine Archive

The reek of Tophet was still in my nostrils.

From Lodges in the Wilderness by Scully, W. C. (William Charles)

Black smoke as of Tophet filling all your universe, it can yet by true heart-energy become flame, and brilliancy of heaven.

From Life Without and Life Within or, Reviews, Narratives, Essays, and poems. by Fuller, Margaret

There broke out the cries of Tophet, and through chaos champed insistently the high note of the tusks.

From The Sea and the Jungle by Tomlinson, H. M. (Henry Major)

For, in a world where cruel deeds abound, The merely damned are legion: with such souls Is not each hollow and cranny of Tophet crammed?

From English Verse Specimens Illustrating its Principles and History by Alden, Raymond MacDonald