Sacrifice (from a Midle English verb meaning "to make sacred", from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacer, "sacred" + facere, "to make") is commonly known as the practice of offering food or the lives of animals or people to the gods as an act of propitiation or worship. The term is also used metaphorically to describe selfless good deeds for others or a short term loss in return for a greater gain, such as in a game of chess.