Etymograph

English

sacrification

Sacrification comes from Latin sacrificatio ‘a sacrificing, sacrifice’, from sacer ‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-1‘to make sacred’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakros1‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEsakros1
  5. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEsacros1
  6. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakr̥s1reconstructed
  7. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakerr1reconstructed
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacer1‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrificō1‘make or offer a sacrifice’
  10. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrificatio2‘a sacrificing, sacrifice’
  11. Englishtodaysacrification2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin sacrificatio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English sacrification

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-Wiktionary, Latin sacrificatio‘to make sacred’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krósWiktionary, Latin sacrificatioreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrosWiktionary, Latin sacrificatio‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEsakrosWiktionary, Latin sacrificatio
  5. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCEsacrosWiktionary, Latin sacrificatio
  6. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakr̥sWiktionary, Latin sacrificatioreconstructed
  7. Old Latinc. 700–75 BCE*sakerrWiktionary, Latin sacrificatioreconstructed
  8. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacerWiktionary, Latin sacrificatio‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’
  9. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrificōWiktionary, Latin sacrificatio‘make or offer a sacrifice’
  10. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrificatioWiktionary, English sacrification‘a sacrificing, sacrifice’
  11. EnglishtodaysacrificationWiktionary, English sacrification

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- ‘to make sacred’

saint, santo, sanction, sanctity, sanctification, 9 more

through Proto-Indo-European *sh₂krós

sacre, 6 more

through Proto-Italic *sakros ‘sacred’

consecration, sacramental, consecrate, 6 more

through Latin sacer ‘sacred, holy, dedicated, consecrated, hallowed’

sexton, sacrament, sacrilege, 7 more

Today it means

noun the act of a sacrifice

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “sacrification”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin sacrificatio. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- / sacrification

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