auto-da-fé
Americannoun
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autos-da-fé
plural
noun
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history a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition including the pronouncement and execution of sentences passed on sinners or heretics
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the burning to death of people condemned as heretics by the Inquisition
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of auto-da-fé
1715–25; < Portuguese: act of the faith
Vocabulary lists containing auto-da-fe
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.
See Examples For:
When orchestra rehearsals started Feb. 14, Nézet-Séguin shortened a 16th note here, lengthened an eighth note there as he sang the vocals — including the Celestial Voice ending the auto-da-fé.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 28, 2022
After characterizing it as a 21st-century auto-da-fé on Twitter, op-ed writer Bari Weiss first argued it was evidence of an out of control PC culture on campus.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 18, 2018
The chorus, a bare whisper at the start and fearsome in the auto-da-fé scene, was superb.
From New York Times ● Oct. 11, 2017
At the Beijing Institute of Clothing Technology, I visited a costume museum that preserves a collection of antique clothing which escaped the auto-da-fé.
From The New Yorker ● Mar. 21, 2016
In 1573 occurred the first auto-da-fé, followed by numerous other such grim ceremonies, for Lima was naturally the head-quarters of the Inquisition.
From South America by W. H. (William Henry) Koebel
Seven out of eighteen autos-da-fé presided over by the famous Inquisitor, Bernard Gui, decreed no severer penalty than imprisonment.
From The Inquisition A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the Church by Bertrand L. (Bertrand Louis) Conway
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