solemnize
SOL-um-nyze
/ˈsɒləmnaɪz/
To perform a formal ceremony, especially that of marriage, with required legal or religious rites.
Implies giving a ceremony official, serious, and legally binding status, rather than just throwing a party.
The story behind the word. Solemnize comes from the Latin sollemnis, meaning 'yearly, established, or religiously fixed.' It originally referred to religious festivals that took place on a fixed date every year, requiring the utmost reverence and precise ritual.
Word relationships
- celebrate: Celebrate can be loud, joyful, and informal, while solemnize emphasizes dignity, law, and ritual.
- consecrate: Consecrate means to make something holy or sacred, whereas solemnize focuses on the formal execution of a ceremony.
- desecrate: Desecrate is to treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect, the opposite of the respect implied by solemnizing.
- violate: Violate is to break a law or agreement, whereas solemnize is to establish or honor it formally.
Commonly confused with
- formalize: Formalize means to make something official, but solemnize carries a deeper, often religious or ritualistic weight.
Word family
- solemn (adjective): Formal, dignified, and serious.
- solemnity (noun): The state or quality of being serious and dignified.
Collocations
- solemnize a marriage
- solemnize a union
- legally solemnize
- solemnize a treaty
Example sentences
- "Only authorized clergy or civil officials have the legal right to solemnize a marriage." Marriage law
- "The nation will solemnize the anniversary of its independence with a military parade and a moment of silence." State ceremonies
Memory hook
To solemnize is to make a ceremony serious and solemn. Solemnize = make it solemn and legal.
When not to use
Do not use for informal celebrations, birthdays, or casual gatherings; it must involve formal, serious rites.
Fun facts
- In some jurisdictions, 'captain's marriages' at sea are a myth; ship captains do not have the inherent legal authority to solemnize marriages unless they are also ordained or registered civil celebrants.
Related words
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