Sacrifice

v. make an offering to a god; sell at a loss; tolerate the loss of; surrender something for the sake of something more valuable

n. act of making an offering to a god; person or item which is offered to a god; surrender of something for the sake of something more valuable; loss caused by selling something below cost

Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred", from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. The term is also used metaphorically to describe selfless good deeds for others, or a short term loss in return for a greater gain (such as in a game of chess).
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Noun
1. the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
(synonym) forfeit, forfeiture
(hypernym) act, human action, human activity
(derivation) give
2. personnel that are sacrificed (e.g., surrendered or lost in order to gain an objective)
(hypernym) personnel casualty, loss
3. a loss entailed by giving up or selling something at less than its value; "he had to sell his car at a considerable sacrifice"
(hypernym) loss
4. the act of killing (an animal or person) in order to propitiate a deity
(synonym) ritual killing
(hypernym) killing, kill, putting to death
(hyponym) hecatomb
(classification) animal, animate being, beast, brute, creature, fauna
5. (sacrifice) an out that advances the base runners
(hypernym) putout
(hyponym) sacrifice fly
(classification) baseball, baseball game, ball
Verb
1. endure the loss of; "He gave his life for his children"; "I gave two sons to the war"
(synonym) give
(hypernym) release, relinquish, resign, free, give up
(verb-group) give, pay, devote
(derivation) forfeit, forfeiture
2. kill or destroy; "The animals were sacrificed after the experiment"; "The general had to sacrifice several soldiers to save the regiment"
(hypernym) kill
(derivation) ritual killing
3. sell at a loss
(hypernym) sell
4. make a sacrifice of; in religious rituals
(hypernym) offer, offer up
(hyponym) immolate
(derivation) ritual killing

n. sacrifice, act of making an offering to a god; person or item which is offered to a god; surrender of something for the sake of something more valuable; offering

(v. i.)
To make offerings to God, or to a deity, of things consumed on the altar; to offer sacrifice.
  

(n.)
To sell at a price less than the cost or the actual value.
  

(n.)
To make an offering of; to consecrate or present to a divinity by way of expiation or propitiation, or as a token acknowledgment or thanksgiving; to immolate on the altar of God, in order to atone for sin, to procure favor, or to express thankfulness; as, to sacrifice an ox or a sheep.
  

(n.)
To destroy; to kill.
  

(n.)
The offering of anything to God, or to a god; consecratory rite.
  

(n.)
Hence, to destroy, surrender, or suffer to be lost, for the sake of obtaining something; to give up in favor of a higher or more imperative object or duty; to devote, with loss or suffering.
  

(n.)
Destruction or surrender of anything for the sake of something else; devotion of some desirable object in behalf of a higher object, or to a claim deemed more pressing; hence, also, the thing so devoted or given up; as, the sacrifice of interest to pleasure, or of pleasure to interest.
  

(n.)
Anything consecrated and offered to God, or to a divinity; an immolated victim, or an offering of any kind, laid upon an altar, or otherwise presented in the way of religious thanksgiving, atonement, or conciliation.
  

(n.)
A sale at a price less than the cost or the actual value.