Database: Auto-da-fé

An auto-da-fé (from the Portuguese for 'act of faith') was originally a ritual of the Inquisition wherein the accused made proof of their good faith. However, since the ritual generally ended with the accused being burnt at the stake, in the popular mind auto-da-fé came to mean the burning itself. The term came to France during the Revolution and was turned inside-out, now meaning a Revolutionary act of faith - against Christian clerics.