victimary · noun — A person whose role it is to kill the sacrificial victim(s) during a ritual sacrifice. It carries an Arena rating of 1403, earned across 5 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, victimary ranks #1,165 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words, #1,643 of 17,130 for Most Ponderous Words, #2,393 of 17,146 for Most Storied Words, #3,110 of 17,163 for Most Sublime Words.
Why “victimary” is a great word
One who kills the sacrificial victim in a ritual. Borrowed from Middle French victimaire, from Latin victimārius, from victima ('sacrificial animal, victim') + -ārius ('-ary, pertaining to'), it first entered English in 1685. Unlike 'victim,' who is the offering, or 'sacrificer,' who oversees the rite, the victimary is the designated hand that performs the fatal cut. It is the grip on the obsidian blade, the scent of incense failing to mask the iron tang of blood, and the precise point where sacred duty becomes mortal act—a role that makes a function of the terrible, intimate distance between the slaughterer and the slain.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from Middle French victimaire, from Latin victimārius, from victima + -ārius.
noun
- A person whose role it is to kill the sacrificial victim(s) during a ritual sacrifice.
adj
- Relating to victim(s) or victimhood.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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