Baptize

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈbæptaɪz/

Definitions

1. To perform a ritual involving water to admit someone into a Christian church ; to introduce or initiate someone or something into a new role or condition
2. The act of ceremonially immersing or sprinkling water on a person as a religious rite ; to formally name or dedicate someone or something to a particular purpose or identity
3. To administer the sacrament of baptism by cleansing with water as a sign of faith ; to give a name or title to something for the first time in a figurative or formal way

Etymology: The Greek verb "baptízō" originally meant "to immerse" or "to plunge," and it was a practical word long before it was a religious one. Early Christian writers adopted it for the ritual of dipping a new believer into water, and the Latin church carried it forward as "baptizāre." The English word arrived by way of Old French "baptiser" and "batisier," which is why the spelling has a French flavour, and it was in use in Middle English. The sense of "dedicate" or "name" grew out of the religious act itself. Because baptism was the moment a person was formally given a Christian name and admitted to the church, the verb came to mean any solemn initiation or christening, such as naming a ship or launching a new idea into the world. The word's core image of plunging into water survives in that ceremonial sense of making something official by first marking it.

Synonyms: christen, initiate, ordain, anoint, consecrate