baptism
/ˈbæptɪzəm/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.55 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A Christian sacrament, by which one is received into a church and sometimes given a name, generally involving the candidate to be anointed with or submerged in water.
Countable; Uncountable
name
The Baptist faith; the Baptist denominations of Christianity.
Example Sentences
- "The child’s baptism was held at the old church."
- "The ceremony of baptism symbolizes spiritual rebirth."
- "Whereas Landon Carter was disgusted with his overseer's proselytizing in 1776, his nephew Robert, who originally shared his skepticism, saw the light in 1778, converted to Baptism himself, and spent much of the next decade encouraging his slaves to follow suit — much to the annoyance of several of his overseers."
Etymology
From Middle English bapteme, baptesme, from Old French batesme or bapteme, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin baptisma, from Ancient Greek βάπτισμα (báptisma, “dipping, baptism”), from βαπτίζω (baptízō, “I dip in liquid”). Displaced native Old English fulwiht.
Origin
Word Breakdown
- Root: bapteme, batesme, -, baptisma, βάπτισμα
Usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
adult baptism
affusion baptism
baptism by affusion
aspersion baptism
baptism by aspersion
baptism by immersing
baptism by pouring
baptism by sprinkling
Frequently Paired Words
anabaptise
anabaptize
anabaptist
anabaptistical
anabaptistically
anabaptistic
anti-paedobaptist
anti-pædobaptist
Synonyms
Antonyms
de-baptism
debaptism