auto-da-fé

[ aw-toh-duh-fey ]

noun,plural au·tos-da-fé.
  1. 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

1
1715–25; <Portuguese: act of the faith

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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

auto-da-fé

/ (ˌɔːtəʊdəˈfeɪ) /


nounplural autos-da-fé
  1. history a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition including the pronouncement and execution of sentences passed on sinners or heretics

  2. the burning to death of people condemned as heretics by the Inquisition

Origin of auto-da-fé

1
C18: from Portuguese, literally: act of the faith

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012