consecrate
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity.
to consecrate a new church building.
- Antonyms:
- desecrate
-
to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow.
a custom consecrated by time.
-
to devote or dedicate to some purpose.
a life consecrated to science.
-
to admit or ordain to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.
-
to change (bread and wine) into the Eucharist.
adjective
verb
-
to make or declare sacred or holy; sanctify
-
to dedicate (one's life, time, etc) to a specific purpose
-
to ordain (a bishop)
-
Christianity to sanctify (bread and wine) for the Eucharist to be received as the body and blood of Christ
-
to cause to be respected or revered; venerate
time has consecrated this custom
adjective
Related Words
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of consecrate
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English consecraten, from Latin consecrātus (past participle of consecrāre ), equivalent to con- + -secr- (variant, in noninitial syllables, of sacer “consecrated, holy”) + -ātus, past participle suffix; see origin at con-, sacred, -ate 1
Explanation
Consecrate means to make holy or to dedicate to a higher purpose. You need to consecrate a building to turn it into a church, but you can also consecrate a week in New York City to the pursuit of the perfect bagel. The secr part of consecrate comes from the Latin sacer "sacred." Remember that something consecrated is dedicated to God and thus sacred. And then remember that the meanings of words tend to stretch; over time this one moved from "dedicated to God" to "dedicated to whatever": jelly donuts, the perfect tan, finding a solution to Rubik's Cube.
Vocabulary lists containing consecrate
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Consecrate yourselves to the salvation of the nation through devoted, faithful service.
From Time Magazine Archive
Consecrate byshop yai made hy her off Lyndisfarne both far and nere.
From Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Carlisle A Description of Its Fabric and A Brief History of the Episcopal See by Eley, C. King
Consecrate to Him the strength which He gives, and let deliverances teach trust, and inflame grateful love, which delights in serving Him who needs no service, but delights in all.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture St. Mark by Maclaren, Alexander
Ordination confers on him habitual jurisdiction, i.e. the power to exercise his office, to Absolve, to Consecrate, to Bless, in the "Holy Church throughout the world".
From The Church: Her Books and Her Sacraments by Holmes, E. E.
According to the Prayer Book, a Priest, or Presbyter, is ordained to do three things, which he, and he alone, can do: to Absolve, to Consecrate, to Bless.
From The Church: Her Books and Her Sacraments by Holmes, E. E.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
