consecrate
KON-suh-krayt
/ˈhɒn.sɪ.kreɪt/
To declare or make something sacred; to dedicate formally to a divine or solemn purpose.
This is an active verb representing a formal ritual or official declaration that changes the status of an object or place from ordinary to holy.
The story behind the word. Consecrate is formed from the Latin prefix con- (together) and sacrare (to make sacred). It literally means to bring together and make holy. In ancient Rome, this was a legal and religious process that transferred property from human ownership to the ownership of the gods.
Word relationships
- sanctify: To make holy or purify spiritually, often focusing on internal purification rather than a formal public ritual.
- dedicate: To set aside for a specific purpose, which can be entirely secular, whereas consecrate usually has a sacred or highly solemn tone.
- desecrate: To damage or show extreme disrespect to something sacred.
- profane: To treat something sacred with abuse, irreverence, or vulgarity.
Commonly confused with
- bless: To bless is to ask for divine favor or protection, while to consecrate is to permanently set something apart as holy for religious use.
Word family
- consecration (noun): The act of declaring or making something sacred.
- consecrated (adjective): Solemnly dedicated to a sacred purpose.
Collocations
- consecrate a church
- consecrate bread and wine
- consecrate one's life to
- solemnly consecrate
Example sentences
- "The bishop arrived on Sunday to consecrate the newly built chapel and its altar." A religious ceremony setting apart a new building.
- "The nation chose to consecrate the battlefield as a permanent memorial to those who fell." A secular but highly solemn dedication of a battlefield.
Memory hook
Think of consecrate as making something sacred with a solemn concentrate (focus) during a ceremony. To make sacred by ritual.
When not to use
Do not use for informal or casual acts of dedication, such as dedicating a song to a friend.
Fun facts
- In some traditional monarchies, the coronation of a king or queen is not just a political event, but a religious service where the monarch is consecrated with holy oil.
Also appears in
- Arts & Literature → Mythology & Sacred Arts
- Travel & Culture → Pilgrimages & Spiritual Journeys
- Religion & World Beliefs → Sacred Ritual & Ceremonial Practice
- Religion & World Beliefs → Faith, Belief & Devotion
- Religion & World Beliefs → Rituals & Rites of Passage
- Religion & World Beliefs → Clergy & Religious Hierarchy
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