baptize

• baptise

From Middle English baptisen, baptizen, from Old French baptiser, batisier, from Ecclesiastical Latin, Late Latin baptizare, from Ancient Greek βαπτίζω (baptízō, “to immerse, plunge, baptize”).

baptize (third-person singular simple present baptizes, present participle baptizing, simple past and past participle baptized)

1. (Christianity) To perform the sacrament of baptism by sprinkling or pouring water over someone or immersing them in water.
2. To dedicate or christen.
3. (archaic, slang) Of rum, brandy, or any other spirits, to dilute with water.
   • 1965, The Road to Santiago: Pilgrims of St. James, page 194:

     There's a good tavern nearby where they don't baptize liquor!

   • 1973, Robert Speaight, Shakespeare on the Stage:

     In 1833 Charles Kingsley wrote of the Royal Victora Hall in the Waterloo Road as 'a licensed pit of darkness'. The darkness remained unrelieved until, in 1880, Miss Emma Cons took over the lease and baptized the drinks that were served at the bar and the songs that were sung on the stage.

   • 2007, Walter Scott Dunn, Choosing Sides on the Frontier in the American Revolution, →ISBN, page 91:

     The general practice in the West Indies was to baptize, add color, and otherwise adulterate rum to make it appear better.

4. (slang) To ensure proper burning of a joint by moistening the exterior with saliva.

• christen

• baptization

• baptism

From Old French bapteme.

baptize

1. Alternative form of bapteme

From Old French baptiser.

baptize

1. Alternative form of baptisen