auto-da-fe

Definition of Auto-da-fe in English :

1. auto-da-fe

the burning to death of heretics (as during the Spanish Inquisition)

WordNet Lexical Database for English. Princeton University. 2010.

Auto-da-fe

nounWord forms: plural autos-da-fé

1. history

a ceremony of the Spanish Inquisition including the pronouncement and execution of sentences passed on sinners or heretics

2.

the burning to death of people condemned as heretics by the Inquisition

nounWord forms: plural ˌauˈtos-da-fé

1.

the public ceremony in which the Inquisition pronounced judgment and passed sentence on those tried as heretics

2.

the execution by the secular power of the sentence thus passed; esp., the public burning of a heretic

n. pl. au·tos-da-fé (ô′tōz-, ou′tōz-)

1. Public announcement of the sentences imposed by the Inquisition.

2. The public execution of those sentences by secular authorities, especially by burning at the stake.