battezzare

to baptize

verb baht-ted-DZAH-reh Less Common

Origin: Greek baptizein, to dip in water

Also means

to christen

Usage Note

Battezzare conjugates regularly (-are). Beyond the religious rite, it is used colloquially to mean 'to nickname' or 'to christen' informally (hanno battezzato il cane Fido = they named the dog Fido). The related noun is battesimo (m), baptism.

Examples

"La famiglia ha battezzato il bambino in chiesa."

Natural Translation

The family baptized the child in church.

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