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auto-da-fé
auto-da-fé definition
auto-da-fé (ôt′ō də fā′, o̵ut′-)
noun pl. au′tos-da-fé′
- the public ceremony in which the Inquisition pronounced judgment and passed sentence on those tried as heretics
- the execution by the secular power of the sentence thus passed; esp., the public burning of a heretic
Etymology: Port, lit., act of the faith < auto (< L actus, act) + da, of the + fé ( < L fides, faith)
Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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