consecrate

[kon-si-kreyt]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consecrate ON THESAURUS.COM

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

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 for consecrate

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR consecrate ON THESAURUS.COM

2. sanctify, venerate.

Synonym study

3. See devote.

Antonyms for consecrate

1. desecrate.

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

Examples from the Web for consecrated

Contemporary Examples of consecrated

The triumphant Jews possessed only a one-day supply of consecrated oil.
The Real Story of Hanukkah
David Frum
December 15, 2012
They did, however, and in 2010 consecrated the second gay bishop in Los Angeles, the Rt.
Bishop Gene Robinson on His New Book ‘God Believes in Love’ & More
David Sessions
September 21, 2012

Historical Examples of consecrated

Hence the hair of the deceased was consecrated to her, and her name invoked at funerals.
Philothea
Lydia Maria Child
It stands upon a site which has been consecrated to the service of God for many centuries.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
Before the end of the year the King was consecrated at Rheims.
The Memoirs of Louis XIV., His Court and The Regency, Complete
Duc de Saint-Simon
There are some consecrated reputations which I wouldn't give a rap for.
His Masterpiece
Emile Zola
To whom that basilica was consecrated Procopius does not say.
Byzantine Churches in Constantinople
Alexander Van Millingen

British Dictionary definitions for consecrated

consecrate

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.