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moloch

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Moloch¹

  • /ˈməʊlɒk/ UK
  • /ˈmoʊlɑk/ US
  • /ˈmɑlək/ US

Rhymes with -əʊlɒk

Where it comes from

From the Proto-Semitic *malk- (“king”). The figurative sense derives from the Old Testament, in which it is alleged that the cult of Moloch involved the sacrifice of human children.

proper noun

  1. An ancient Ammonite deity worshiped by the Canaanites, Phoenician and related cultures in North Africa and the Levant, often depicted with the head of a bull.
  2. figuratively A person or thing demanding or requiring a very costly sacrifice. [W]e can't without wonder remember that horrid Invention projected in this place, but thanks be to God diſappointed, wherein there was not Reverence to the ſacred Bones of Princes, but all were at one blaſt to be offer'd up to Moloch.

moloch²

  • /ˈmɒlɒk/

Where it comes from

From Hebrew מולך (molokh, “Ammonite god, worshipped by Canaanites and Phoenicians, who demanded child-sacrifice. Mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy”).

noun molochs

  1. Any of species Moloch horridus of Australian lizards, sole species of the genus Moloch.

    Similar: thorny dragon, thorny devil, mountain devil, thorny lizard

Translations

Every language

name ancient Ammonite deity

हिन्दीमोलोक molok
PortuguêsMoloch, Moloque
DeutschMoloch

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MLA

"moloch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/moloch. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

moloch. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/moloch

Chicago

"moloch." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/moloch.

BibTeX
@misc{moloch_2026,
  title = {moloch},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/moloch},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}