moloch

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a tyrannical power to be propitiated by human subservience or sacrifice; ; - Norman Douglas
  2. noun god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians to whom parents sacrificed their children
  3. noun any lizard of the genus Moloch

Etymology

From Hebrew מולך (molokh, “Ammonite god, worshipped by Canaanites and Phoenicians, who demanded child-sacrifice. Mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy”).

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