Etymology

moloch

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Today it means: Any of species Moloch horridus of Australian lizards, sole species of the genus Moloch. Full definition →

Hebrew מולך
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moloch · noun1

  1. Hebrew · borrowed fromמולך“Ammonite god, worshipped by Canaanites and Phoenicians, who demanded child-sacrifice. Mentioned in Leviticus and Deuteronomy”
  2. English todaymoloch

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

Moloch · proper noun2

  1. Proto-Semitic · derived from*malk-“king”
  2. English todayMoloch

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.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.