dedicate

[ded-i-keyt, ded-i-kit]

verb (used with object)

dedicated, dedicating 

1. to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose.

   The ancient Greeks dedicated many shrines to Aphrodite.

2. to devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose.

   He dedicated his life to fighting corruption.

   Synonyms: consecrate, pledge, commit

3. to offer formally (a book, piece of music, etc.) to a person, cause, or the like in testimony of affection or respect, as on a prefatory page.

4. (loosely) to inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient.

5. to mark the official completion or opening of (a public building, monument, highway, etc.), usually by formal ceremonies.

6. to set aside for or assign to a specific function, task, or purpose.

   The county health agency has dedicated one inspector to monitor conditions in nursing homes.

adjective

1. dedicated.

dedicate

/ ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪt, ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪtərɪ, ˈdɛdɪkətərɪ, -trɪ /

verb

1. (often foll by to) to devote (oneself, one's time, etc) wholly to a special purpose or cause; commit wholeheartedly or unreservedly

2. (foll by to) to address or inscribe (a book, artistic performance, etc) to a person, cause, etc as a token of affection or respect

3. (foll by to) to request or play (a record) on radio for another person as a greeting

4. to assign or allocate to a particular project, function, etc

5. to set apart for a deity or for sacred uses; consecrate

adjective

1. an archaic word for dedicated

Other Word Forms

• dedicator noun
• overdedicate verb (used with object)
• prededicate verb (used with object)
• rededicate verb (used with object)
• dedicatory adjective
• dedicatee noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dedicate¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English (verb and adjective) from Latin dēdicātus, past participle of dēdicāre “to declare, devote,” equivalent to dē- “from, away, out of” + dicāre “to indicate, consecrate,” akin to dīcere “to say, speak”; de-, dictate )

Word History and Origins

Origin of dedicate¹

C15: from Latin dēdicāre to announce, from dicāre to make known, variant of dīcere to say

Synonym Study

See devote.

Example Sentences

“My own efforts during the past four decades have been dedicated to rescuing the founders from the electromagnetic field we have constructed around them,” he writes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

On Christmas Eve, a radio station in Crescent City dedicated a show to them, said their names, “and when ‘Silent Night’ came on, there wasn’t a dry eye in the galley,” he said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

This exhibition, the first American presentation dedicated to the times of Trajan, looks at the impact of his rule on art and culture.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Data centres - dedicated spaces for computer systems that help power the internet and artificial intelligence - are essential to our global connectivity.

Read more on BBC

UT Austin recently received a grant from Emily's Entourage, a non-profit organization dedicated to finding treatments for the roughly 10% of people with CF who do not benefit from current therapies.

Read more on Science Daily

Related Words

• allot 
• apply 
• apportion 
• assign 
• commit 
• devote 
• give 
• restrict