moloch Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a tyrannical power to be propitiated by human subservience or sacrifice
    • the great Moloch of war
    • duty has become the Moloch of modern life"- Norman Douglas
  2. noun god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians to whom parents sacrificed their children
    Molech.
  3. noun any lizard of the genus Moloch

WordNet

Mo"loch noun
Etymology
Heb. molek king.
Definitions
  1. (Script.) The fire god of the Ammonites in Canaan, to whom human sacrifices were offered; Molech. Also applied figuratively.
  2. (Zoöl.) A spiny Australian lizard (Moloch horridus). The horns on the head and numerous spines on the body give it a most formidable appearance.

Webster 1913