baptize
baptize Lexical Profile
baptize Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To administer the religious rite of baptism to someone by immersing them in water or sprinkling water on them, typically as a sign of admission into the Christian Church.
"The priest agreed to baptize the infant at the Sunday morning service."
To give a name or nickname to someone or something, originally at a baptismal ceremony.
"Local hikers decided to baptize the steep, rocky trail 'The Ankle Breaker'."
To purify, cleanse, or initiate someone through a spiritual or testing ordeal.
"The new recruits were baptized by the harsh realities of their first winter expedition."
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed from Old French baptiser, from Late Latin baptizare, which derives from Ancient Greek baptizein ('to immerse, dip in water'), a derivative of baptein ('to dip, dye').