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consecrate

[kon-si-kreyt]
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verb (used with object), con·se·crat·ed, con·se·crat·ing.
  1. to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity: to consecrate a new church building.
  2. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow: a custom consecrated by time.
  3. to devote or dedicate to some purpose: a life consecrated to science.
  4. to admit or ordain to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.
  5. to change (bread and wine) into the Eucharist.
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adjective
  1. consecrated; sacred.
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Origin of consecrate

1325–75; Middle English consecraten < Latin consecrātus (past participle of consecrāre), equivalent to con- con- + -secr- (variant, in non-initial syllables, of sacer) sacred, holy + -ātus -ate1
Related formscon·se·crat·ed·ness, nouncon·se·cra·tor, con·se·crat·er, nouncon·se·cra·to·ry [kon-si-kruh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] /ˈkɒn sɪ krəˌtɔr i, -ˌtoʊr i/, con·se·cra·tive, adjectivede·con·se·crate, verb (used with object), de·con·se·crat·ed, de·con·se·crat·ing.pre·con·se·crate, verb (used with object), pre·con·se·crat·ed, pre·con·se·crat·ing.re·con·se·crate, verb (used with object), re·con·se·crat·ed, re·con·se·crat·ing.su·per·con·se·crat·ed, adjectiveun·con·se·crat·ed, adjectiveun·con·se·cra·tive, adjective

Synonyms

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2. sanctify, venerate.

Synonym study

3. See devote.

Antonyms

1. desecrate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for consecrate

consecrate

verb (tr)
  1. to make or declare sacred or holy; sanctify
  2. to dedicate (one's life, time, etc) to a specific purpose
  3. to ordain (a bishop)
  4. Christianity to sanctify (bread and wine) for the Eucharist to be received as the body and blood of Christ
  5. to cause to be respected or revered; veneratetime has consecrated this custom
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adjective
  1. archaic consecrated
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Derived Formsconsecration, nounconsecrator, nounconsecratory (ˌkɒnsɪˈkreɪtərɪ) or consecrative, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Latin consecrāre, from com- (intensive) + sacrāre to devote, from sacer sacred
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for consecrate

v.

late 14c., from Latin consecratus, past participle of consecrare "to make holy, devote," from com- "together" (see com-) + sacrare (see sacred). Related: Consecrated; consecrating.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper