beatify

[ bee-at-uh-fahy ]

verb (used with object)

, be·at·i·fied, be·at·i·fy·ing.

1. to make blissfully happy.
2. Roman Catholic Church. to declare (a deceased person) to be among the blessed and therefore entitled to local but not universal veneration. Compare canonize ( def 1 ).

beatify

/ bɪˌætɪfɪˈkeɪʃən; bɪˈætɪˌfaɪ /

verb

1. tr RC Church (of the pope) to declare formally that (a deceased person) showed a heroic degree of holiness in his or her life and therefore is worthy of public veneration: the first step towards canonization
2. tr to make extremely happy

Derived Forms

• beatification, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of beatify¹

First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French beatifier, from Late Latin beātificāre; beatific ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of beatify¹

C16: from Old French beatifier , from Late Latin beātificāre to make blessed; see beatific

Example Sentences

For them, there is more than just basketball at play and their issue isn’t with Clark, but rather the hype machine that has beatified her.

From Los Angeles Times

It is the first time that an entire family has been beatified.

From Washington Times

Those beatified are declared "blessed" and worthy of public veneration.

From BBC

The Catholic Church faced a dilemma in beatifying Wiktoria’s unborn child and declaring it a martyr because, among other things, it had not been baptized, which is a requirement for beatification.

From Seattle Times

The Catholic Church must now approve a miracle that is attributed to her, so she can be beatified.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

• consecrate
• sanctify