beatify
[bee-at-uh-fahy]
- to make blissfully happy.
- Roman Catholic Church. to declare (a deceased person) to be among the blessed and thus entitled to specific religious honor.
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Origin of beatify
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for beatify
Historical Examples
He does also many things through angels; but only from Himself does He beatify angels.
The City of God, Volume IAurelius Augustine
It is an innate element of the human constitution, designed to beautify and beatify man.
beatify
- (tr) RC Church (of the pope) to declare formally that (a deceased person) showed a heroic degree of holiness in his or her life and therefore is worthy of public veneration: the first step towards canonization
- (tr) to make extremely happy
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Word Origin
C16: from Old French beatifier, from Late Latin beātificāre to make blessed; see beatific
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for beatify
v.
1530s, "to make very happy," from Middle French béatifer, from Late Latin beatificare "make happy, make blessed," from Latin beatus "supremely happy, blessed" (past participle of beare "to make happy, to bless") + -ficare, from stem of facere "to make, do" (see factitious). The Roman Catholic Church sense of "to pronounce as being in heavenly bliss" (1620s) is the first step toward canonization. Related: Beatified; beatifying.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper