Immolate means the act of killing or dying as a form of sacrifice to what is considered divine and sacred.
Immolations (sacrifices) were widely practiced among most ancient societies as a way to please their gods.
These sacrifices could be of animals or human beings, who were sacrificed, on many occasions, voluntarily.
The Old Testament of the Christian Bible, for example, narrates many episodes in which God supposedly ordered his faithful to sacrifice lambs and other animals in his honor.
Some of the ancient civilizations that inhabited the present American continent also performed rituals to immolate some people in dedication to their gods.
Currently, the practice of immolation as a form of divine sacrifice is rarer, but it continues to exist in some orthodox branches of religious doctrine.
Learn more about the meaning of Orthodox.
The verb immolate can also be used in the sense of "kill" or "murder", without being related to a religious context.
Example:"The war was responsible for the immolation of thousands of victims".
In its figurative sense, immolate can still refer to non-carnal sacrifice, such as the action of abdicating some comfort or benefit as a way to satisfy another's will or desire.
Example:"The immolation was done in favor of the homeless".
However, immolate can also be related to the act of causing harm or harm to someone, according to the context in which this term was used.
See also: the meaning of Ritual.
