Emily Dickinson Lexicon

baptize (-d, -s), v. [Fr. < L. < Gk. 'immerse, bathe, wash, drench'.] (webplay: church, face, Father, name, water).

1. Initiate; debut; launch; pronounce; declare; proclaim; [fig.] acquire a new identity as; die to a former life and be born again to a new life; (see John 3:3-5).
2. Authorize; confirm; sanction; formally accept; [fig.] chant; intone; reverberate; sound; sing; perform musically.
3. Bless; ritually cleanse; purify ceremonially; formally dedicate to God; receive as a member in a Christian church; sprinkle water on the face in the name of the Godhead; immerse in water in preparation for immersion in the spirit (see Matthew 3:11).
4. Christen; name; designate; label.