consecrate

[ kon-si-kreyt ]

/ ˈkɒn sɪˌkreɪt /

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verb (used with object), con·se·crat·ed, con·se·crat·ing.

to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity: to consecrate a new church building.

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

consecrated; sacred.

RELATED WORDS

hallowed, sanctified

Nearby words

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

SYNONYMS FOR consecrate

2. sanctify, venerate.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consecrate ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR consecrate

1. desecrate.

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Related forms

con·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

Synonym study

3. See devote.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for consecrated

Yet a church once consecrated, is not to be consecrated again unless it shall have been profaned, which happeneth in three ways.
Churches and Church Ornaments|William Durandus
Here we have the personal and relative side of a consecrated life of service.
The Shepherd Psalm|William Evans
May He be born again and born daily in our hearts, already touched by that remembrance and consecrated by its meaning.
Marm Lisa|Kate Douglas Wiggin
Hence the hair of the deceased was consecrated to her, and her name invoked at funerals.
Philothea|Lydia Maria Child

There would have been further riot and bloodshed on this consecrated ground had our conductor proposed to attempt it then.
The Ship Dwellers|Albert Bigelow Paine

British Dictionary definitions for consecrated

consecrate

/ (ˈkɒnsɪˌkreɪt) /

verb (tr)

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; veneratetime has consecrated this custom

adjective

archaic consecrated

Derived Formsconsecration, nounconsecrator, nounconsecratory (ˌkɒnsɪˈkreɪtərɪ) or consecrative, adjective

Word Origin for consecrate

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 consecrated

consecrate

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