Link Centre Dictionary

Moloch

mo·loch

UK/ˈmɒlɒk/ US/ˈmoʊlɑk/ uncommon

noun

1.

a tyrannical power to be propitiated by human subservience or sacrifice

  • “the great Moloch of war”
  • “duty has become the Moloch of modern life” Norman Douglas
2.

god of the Ammonites and Phoenicians to whom parents sacrificed their children

Synonyms
3.

any lizard of the genus Moloch

Origin

From the Proto-Semitic *malk- (“king”). The figurative sense derives from the Old Testament, in which it is alleged that the cult of Moloch involved the sacrifice of human children.

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.