[moh-lok, mol-uh
k] 
| 1. | a deity whose worship was marked by the propitiatory sacrifice of children by their own parents. II Kings 23:10; Jer. 32:35. |
| 2. | anything conceived of as requiring appalling sacrifice: the Moloch of war. |
| 3. | (lowercase) a spiny agamid lizard, Moloch horridus, of Australian deserts, that resembles the horned lizard. |
| mo·loch (mō'lŏk', mŏl'ək) n. A lizard (Moloch horridus) of the deserts and plains of central and southern Australia, having a head and back covered with large spiny scales. [Late Latin Moloch, Semitic deity; see Moloch.] |
| Mo·loch (mō'lŏk', mŏl'ək) n.
[Late Latin Moloch, from Greek Molokh, from Hebrew Mōlek, of Canaanite origin; see mlk in Semitic roots.] |
A Canaanite idol who demanded the sacrifice of first-born children. The Old Testament prophets railed against the worship of Moloch by the Israelites.
Note: Moloch also appears as one of the fallen angels in Milton's Paradise Lost and as a malevolent figure in other allegorical works of literature.
Note: By extension, a “Moloch” is something that has the power to exact extreme sacrifice.
Moloch
king, the name of the national god of the Ammonites, to whom children were sacrificed by fire. He was the consuming and destroying and also at the same time the purifying fire. In Amos 5:26, "your Moloch" of the Authorized Version is "your king" in the Revised Version (comp. Acts 7:43). Solomon (1 Kings 11:7) erected a high place for this idol on the Mount of Olives, and from that time till the days of Josiah his worship continued (2 Kings 23:10, 13). In the days of Jehoahaz it was partially restored, but after the Captivity wholly disappeared. He is also called Molech (Lev. 18:21; 20:2-5, etc.), Milcom (1 Kings 11:5, 33, etc.), and Malcham (Zeph. 1:5). This god became Chemosh among the Moabites.
moloch
small (20-centimetre- [8-inch-] long), squat, orange and brown Australian lizard of the Old World family Agamidae. Moloch is entirely covered with thornlike spines, the largest projecting from the snout and over each eye. The shape of its body and many of its habits are similar to those of horned lizards of North America, which are in the family Iguanidae. Both are flattened, have short tails, spines, move very little, and specialize on ants.
Learn more about moloch with a free trial on Britannica.com.