consecrate

[ kon-si-kreyt ]

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.

   Antonyms: desecrate

2. to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow:

   a custom consecrated by time.

   Synonyms: venerate, sanctify

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.

adjective

1. consecrated; sacred

consecrate

/ ˈkɒnsɪˌkreɪt; ˌkɒnsɪˈkreɪtərɪ /

verb

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; venerate

   time has consecrated this custom

adjective

1. archaic.
   consecrated

Derived Forms

• ˌconseˈcration, noun
• consecratory, adjective
• ˈconseˌcrator, noun

Other Words From

• con·se·cra·tor con·se·crat·er noun
• con·se·cra·to·ry [kon, -si-kr, uh, -tawr-ee], con·se·cra·tive adjective
• de·con·se·crate verb (used with object) deconsecrated deconsecrating
• pre·con·se·crate verb (used with object) preconsecrated preconsecrating
• re·con·se·crate verb (used with object) reconsecrated reconsecrating
• un·con·se·cra·tive adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of consecrate¹

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; con-, sacred, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of consecrate¹

C15: from Latin consecrāre, from com- (intensive) + sacrāre to devote, from sacer sacred

Synonym Study

See devote. See holy.

Example Sentences

Bean boots and a hooded sweatshirt, Rabbi Rachel Isaacs paused to consecrate the ice beneath her feet before she commandeered it for a higher purpose.

From New York Times

"Never consecrate a bishop without permission. Sacraments can be sacrificed, but faith cannot be sacrificed! Remember! Remember!"

From Reuters

“Your bishops and priests consecrate and bless the tanks and rockets that bomb our peaceful cities.”

From New York Times

But even if Biden and McCarthy can consecrate a deal, it’s going to require somewhere around 100 House Democratic votes to pass the chamber—and House Democrats hate, hate, hate this entire process.

From Slate

In Italy, the three Carracci brothers and Caravaggio, who never saw a dirty foot or head of tousled hair he couldn’t lovingly consecrate through dramatizing strokes of paint, nourished a tradition of so-called low-life painting that lasted into the 18th century.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• beatify
• bless
• dedicate
• ordain
• sanctify