consecrate

1 of 2

adjective

con·​se·​crate ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt How to pronounce consecrate (audio)
: dedicated to a sacred purpose

consecrate

2 of 2

verb

consecrated; consecrating

transitive verb

1
: to induct (a person) into a permanent office with a religious rite
especially : to ordain to the office of bishop
2
a
: to make or declare sacred
especially : to devote irrevocably to the worship of God by a solemn ceremony
consecrate a church
b
: to effect the liturgical transubstantiation of (eucharistic bread and wine)
c
: to devote to a purpose with or as if with deep solemnity or dedication
3
: to make inviolable or venerable
principles consecrated by the weight of history
consecrative adjective
consecrator noun
consecratory adjective
Choose the Right Synonym for consecrate

devote, dedicate, consecrate, hallow mean to set apart for a special and often higher end.

devote is likely to imply compelling motives and often attachment to an objective.

devoted his evenings to study

dedicate implies solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use or purpose.

dedicated her life to medical research

consecrate stresses investment with a solemn or sacred quality.

consecrate a church to the worship of God

hallow, often differing little from dedicate or consecrate, may distinctively imply an attribution of intrinsic sanctity.

battlegrounds hallowed by the blood of patriots

Examples of consecrate in a Sentence

Adjective the consecrate gold tablets which Joseph Smith claimed to have found Verb a philanthropist who consecrated his considerable fortune to an array of charitable causes plans to consecrate the altar in the new church with great ceremony
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Lana Del Rey doesn’t toy with signs—of American glamour and its decay, of female melancholia and racial desire—so much as consecrate them. Lauren Michele Jackson, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2023
Verb
Its church was consecrated in 1250 and was restored and expanded after a fire in 1344. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 The Ram Mandir, a Hindu temple, will be consecrated Jan 22. Yasmeen Serhan, TIME, 18 Jan. 2024 Harris, who died in 2020, was the first woman consecrated as a bishop in the worldwide Anglican Communion. Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Sep. 2023 But none have warranted a $3.85 billion makeover of the city before the Ram Mandir, consecrated on Monday, Jan. 22 by India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a grand opening decades in the making. TIME, 24 Jan. 2024 Following a rise through the dioceses and working in a number of clerical positions, he was consecrated a bishop in 1987. Timothy H.j. Nerozzi Fox News, Fox News, 23 Dec. 2023 After serving as a canon in Coventry Cathedral and dean of Liverpool, he was consecrated as the bishop of Durham in 2011. Mark Landler, New York Times, 22 Dec. 2023 During the Middle Ages, priests were also allowed to preach, although their chief responsibility was to say the Mass – ritually consecrating the offerings of bread and wine – especially on Sundays. Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 6 July 2023 Brown consecrated the Stanton native as Orange County’s second Latino auxiliary bishop in 2000 even though Soto had pleaded for leniency in the 1986 case of Andrew Christian Andersen, who faced at least 56 years in prison for molesting altar boys in Huntington Beach. Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'consecrate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Adjective

Middle English, from Latin consecratus, past participle of consecrare, from com- + sacrare to consecrate — more at sacred

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of consecrate was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near consecrate

Cite this Entry

“Consecrate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/consecrate. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

consecrate

verb
con·​se·​crate
ˈkän(t)-sə-ˌkrāt
consecrated; consecrating
1
: to make or declare sacred : to set apart to the service of God
2
: to devote to a purpose in a very sincere manner
Etymology

Verb

Middle English consecraten "to consecrate," derived from Latin consecrare "to make holy," from con-, com- "together" and sacrare "to consecrate," from sacr-, sacer "sacred" — related to sacred

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