Meanings
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1
noun
a Christian sacrament or rite involving water that marks spiritual cleansing and admission to the Church
The child's baptism took place at the village church on Sunday.
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2
noun
a ceremony of initiation, purification, or naming modeled on the Christian rite
The river ceremony served as a symbolic baptism into the community.
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3
noun
a person's first difficult or intense experience of an activity or situation
The emergency landing was the young pilot's baptism of fire.
Thesaurus
Etymology
From Middle English bapteme or baptesme, through Old French and Ecclesiastical Latin baptisma, from Ancient Greek baptisma, "dipping, baptism." The Greek noun derives from baptizein, "to dip or immerse." The figurative initiation sense extends the rite's marking of entry into a new spiritual life.