solemnize

American  

[sol-uhm-nahyz] / ˈsɒl əmˌnaɪz /

especially British, solemnise

verb (used with object)

solemnized, solemnizing

1. to perform the ceremony of (marriage).

2. to hold or perform (ceremonies, rites, etc.) in due manner.

3. to observe or commemorate with rites or ceremonies.

   to solemnize an occasion with prayer.

4. to go through with ceremony or formality.

5. to render solemn, serious, or grave; dignify.

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verb (used without object)

solemnized, solemnizing

1. to become solemn; conduct oneself with solemnity.

solemnize British  

/ ˈsɒləmˌnaɪz /

verb

1. to celebrate or observe with rites or formal ceremonies, as a religious occasion

2. to celebrate or perform the ceremony of (marriage)

3. to make solemn or serious

4. to perform or hold (ceremonies, etc) in due manner

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Other Word Forms

• solemnization
  noun
• solemnizer
  noun
• unsolemnized
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of solemnize

1350–1400; Middle English solempnise < Medieval Latin sōlemnizāre, equivalent to Latin sōlemnis solemn + -izāre -ize

Explanation

When you solemnize something, you make it serious or dignified. You might solemnize a meal by lighting candles and saying grace before you eat. How much fun is it to get to pronounce a letter that is normally silent? You'll know when you wrap your tongue around this one, in which the n, normally silent in solemn, gets to introduce the suffix -ize. Even more fun is the fact that solemnize has a Greek suffix tacked onto a Latin root, sollemnis, or "formal, ceremonial, traditional." But we shouldn't be having so much fun with a verb whose meaning is "perform with dignity or gravity."

Example Sentences

Nine years later, when the United Kingdom allowed same-sex couples to solemnize their marriages in religious ceremonies, Ortega-Medina and his husband married in a Jewish ceremony at West London Synagogue.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2023

Judge Lohier was given a one-day designation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to solemnize the marriage.

From New York Times • Sep. 24, 2021

The wording he proposed would make clear that the government cannot force a clergy member to solemnize any marriage in violation of the clergy person’s religious beliefs.

From Washington Times • Jul. 31, 2015

Questions about how to solemnize Constitution Day sometimes prove far more interesting than Constitution Day itself.

From Slate • Sep. 16, 2014

My friends absolutely require, that, before I solemnize my marriage, I should acquaint the Prince with my intentions.

From The Dramatic Works of G. E. Lessing Miss Sara Sampson, Philotas, Emilia Galotti, Nathan the Wise by Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim