baptism
(Christianity)
[noun]
Synonyms: christening, immersion, purification, sprinkling

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

bap‧tis‧m /ˈbæptɪzəm/ noun [uncountable and countable]

1. a Christian religious ceremony in which someone is touched or covered with water to welcome them into the Christian faith, and sometimes to officially name them ⇒ christening

2. baptism of/by fire a difficult or painful first experience of something:
The campaign has been a baptism of fire.
—baptismal /bæpˈtɪzməl/ adjective [only before noun]:
a baptismal font (=container for holding the water used at baptism)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲