n.
Pronunciation: ' sa-kr ə - ˌ f ī s, also -f ə s or - ˌ f ī z
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin sacrificium, from sacr-, sacer + facere to make ― more at DO
Date: 13th century
1 : an act of offering to a deity something precious especially : the killing of a victim on an altar
2 : something offered in sacrifice
3 a : destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else b : something given up or lost <the sacrifice s made by parents>
4 : LOSS <goods sold at a sacrifice >
5 : SACRIFICE HIT