Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Alternative form of
auto da fe .
Etymologies
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Examples
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john commented on the word auto de fe
Means "act of faith" in medieval Spanish. The ceremony during which the sentences of those convicted by the Spanish Inquisition were read.
March 3, 2008
sionnach commented on the word auto de fe
John: Are you making a distinction between this term and the term auto da fe, which is generally considered to include both the reading of the sentences by the Inquisition and their subsequent execution by civil authorities, usually in the form of a very public burning at the stake?
My favorite opera, Don Carlos, has an excellent auto da fe scene at the end of the second act. Then there's that song in "Candide" as well.
March 3, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word auto de fe
Is it really spelled "de" or "da"?
March 3, 2008
john commented on the word auto de fe
Hm, not sure. Wikipedia has it spelled this way, and redirects the 'da' spelling to it as well. Britannica (warning: loud, obnoxious ads on site) has 'da' as the Portuguese spelling.
March 3, 2008
chained_bear commented on the word auto de fe
I've never seen it spelled "de" before. I wonder why. (It isn't that I'm Portuguese or anything.)
March 3, 2008
sarra commented on the word auto de fe
Properly auto-da-fé or auto-de-fé. Da is Portugese and most common in this usage, de Spanish.
March 4, 2008