Past tense of baptize; to perform the Christian sacrament of baptism on someone, typically involving immersion in or sprinkling with water as a symbol of purification and admission to the church.
From Greek 'baptizein' meaning 'to dip, immerse, or wash'. The word entered English via Latin 'baptizare' and Old French 'baptiser'. Originally meant simply 'to dip' but evolved to specifically denote the Christian ritual of spiritual cleansing and rebirth.
The word baptize literally means 'to dip' and was used in ancient Greek for mundane activities like dyeing cloth or even pickling vegetables! The spiritual transformation of this everyday word into one of Christianity's most sacred rituals shows how religious language often repurposes ordinary concepts to express the extraordinary.
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