the act of consecrating; dedication to the service and worship of a deity.
the act of giving the sacramental character to the Eucharistic elements of bread and wine, especially in the Roman Catholic Church.
ordination to a sacred office, especially to the episcopate.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English consecracio(u)n, from Anglo-French, from Latin consecrātiōn-, stem of consecrātiō; equivalent to consecrate + -ion
Most often used in a religious context, consecration is the act of dedicating something to God, sanctifying it and making it holy. For example, someone entering the priesthood goes through a consecration rite that establishes his holy commitment. If we go to the root of consecration, we find the Latin noun sacer, or "sacred." Add the prefix con, meaning "with," and you can figure out that the verb consecrare means "to do with sacred dedication." In time, the word also came to mean any religious or secular action or dedication that indicated a strong commitment to some purpose, as in “He approached his job with the consecration of a religious zealot.”
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On Thursday, the Vatican’s doctrinal office said the measures were a response to the group’s consecration of four bishops earlier this week without the consent of Pope Leo XIV.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
For centuries, marriage was not the consecration of love, but rather an economic transaction between families who paired up their children in order to consolidate power and land ownership.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2026
Allen, from what I can tell, was not advocating for social revolution, or a total inversion of the market economy, or the consecration of a Marxist state.
From Slate ● May 1, 2026
He said he had looked forward to attending the consecration ceremony of an Indian temple early Thursday but has to “miss it to keep others around me safe.”
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2023
I imagined the plain wooden crucifix above the altar swinging back and forth as Father Amadi raised the host at consecration.
From "Purple Hibiscus" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
The evening opened with “The Consecration of the House,” an overture Beethoven wholly revised in 1822 from incidental music originally composed a decade earlier for August von Kotzebue’s play, “The Ruins of Athens.”
From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2022
That experiment didn’t last long, but the Law of Consecration is still invoked by Mormons in, for instance, discussions of the church’s welfare program.
From Slate ● Jan. 12, 2012
Consecration over time is the other selling argument that sways those seeking safety.
From New York Times ● Nov. 11, 2011
The most substantial piece of "serious music" on the program was Beethoven's "Consecration of the House" overture.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 18, 2011
Consecration has been refused to churches, unprovided with relics.
From Dealings with the Dead, Volume I (of 2) by School, A Sexton of the Old
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.
