auto-da-fé
the public declaration of the judgment passed on persons tried in the courts of the Spanish Inquisition, followed by the execution by the civil authorities of the sentences imposed, especially the burning of condemned heretics at the stake.
Origin of auto-da-fé
1Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use auto-da-fé in a sentence
Numerous autos-da-fé succeeded each other for the purpose of stamping out Protestant principles from Spain.
The Last Look | W.H.G. Kingston
British Dictionary definitions for auto-da-fé
/ (ˌɔːtəʊdəˈfeɪ) /
history a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition including the pronouncement and execution of sentences passed on sinners or heretics
the burning to death of people condemned as heretics by the Inquisition
Origin of auto-da-fé
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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