consecrate
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consecrate¹
- /ˈkɒnsəkɹeɪt/ UK
- /ˈkɑnsəkɹeɪt/ US
Where it comes from
First attested in the late 14ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English consecraten (“to dedicate, consecrate (an altar, church); to ordain (a bishop), anoint (a king, a pope); to devote one to religious life”), from consecrat(e) (“consecrated”, used as the past participle of consecraten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), borrowed from Latin cōnsecrātus, perfect passive participle of cōnsecrāre, see -ate (verb-forming suffix).
verb consecrates · consecrating · consecrated
-
To declare something holy, or make it holy by some procedure.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we can not consecrate—we can not hallow—this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract.
Similar: behallow, hallow · Opposite: desecrate, defile, corrupt, profanate, profane, profanize, pollute, sully, tarnish, violate
- To ordain as a bishop.
- To commit (oneself or one's time) solemnly to some aim or task.
Similar: avow, behallow, bless, canonize, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, inaugurate, martyr, sacralize, sacrate, saint, sanctify · Opposite: deconsecrate, desacralize, desecrate, profane, uncanonize, unbless, unhallow, unsaint
consecrate²
- /ˈkɒnsəkɹət/ UK
- /ˈkɑnsəkɹət/ US
Where it comes from
First attested in the late 14ᵗʰ century, in Middle English; inherited from Middle English consecrat(e) (“consecrated”), used as the past participle of consecraten (“to dedicate, consecrate (an altar, church); to ordain (a bishop), anoint (a king, a pope); to devote one to religious life”); see Etymology 1 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more. Regular participial usage up until Early Modern English.
adjective more consecrate · most consecrate
- Consecrated. Led to the city consecrate to Mars.
- Consecrated, devoted, dedicated, sacred. And that this body conſecrate to thee, By Ruffian Luſt ſhould be contaminate!
Thesaurus
verb
Similar: avow, behallow, bless, canonize, consecrate, dedicate, hallow, inaugurate, martyr, sacralize, sacrate, saint, sanctify · Opposite: deconsecrate, desacralize, desecrate, profane, uncanonize, unbless, unhallow, unsaint
Translations
Talk about this word "consecrate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/consecrate. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. consecrate. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/consecrate "consecrate." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/consecrate.Cite this
@misc{consecrate_2026,
title = {consecrate},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/consecrate},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
