consecrate

English

Etymology 1

First attested in the late 14^th 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).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnsəkɹeɪt/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnsəkɹeɪt/
• Hyphenation: con‧se‧crate

Verb

consecrate (third-person singular simple present consecrates, present participle consecrating, simple past and past participle consecrated)

An example of signage indicating premises remain consecrated.

1. (transitive) To declare something holy, or make it holy by some procedure.

   Synonyms: behallow, hallow; see also Thesaurus:consecrate

   Antonyms: desecrate, defile; see also Thesaurus:desecrate

   • 1863 November 19, Abraham Lincoln, Dedicatory Remarks (Gettysburg Address)‎^[1], near Soldiers' National Cemetery, →LCCN, Bliss copy, page 2:

     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.

2. (transitive, Roman Catholicism, specifically) To ordain as a bishop.
3. (transitive) To commit (oneself or one's time) solemnly to some aim or task.

Derived terms

• consecratedness
• consecratee
• consecrative
• deconsecrate
• disconsecrate
• misconsecrate
• reconsecrate
• unconsecrate
• unconsecrated

Related terms

• consecration

Translations

declare holy, or make holy by some procedure

• Arabic: قَدَّسَ (ar) (qaddasa)
• Bulgarian: освещавам (bg) (osveštavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 奉為神聖 / 奉为神圣 (fèngwéi shénshèng), 成為聖潔 / 成为圣洁 (chéngwéi shèngjié), 使聖化 / 使圣化 (shǐ shènghuà), 開光 / 开光 (zh) (kāiguāng)

• Czech: zasvětit
• Esperanto: konsekri
• Finnish: pyhittää (fi)
• French: consacrer (fr)
• German: weihen (de)
• Gothic: 𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌷𐌰𐌽 (weihan)
• Greek: αγιάζω (el) (agiázo)
• Hawaiian: hoʻokapu
• Hebrew: קידש \ קִדֵּשׁ (kidésh)
• Hungarian: szentel (hu), felszentel (hu), megszentel (hu)
• Icelandic: helga
• Ido: konsekracar (io)
• Indonesian: menahbiskan (id)
• Irish: coisric
• Latin: sanciō, consecrō
• Luxembourgish: weien
• Macedonian: осветува (osvetuva)
• Malayalam: പവിത്രീകരിക്കുക (ml) (pavitrīkarikkuka)
• Maori: whakatapu, whakataputapu
• Middle English: sacren
• Norwegian: konsekrere (no)
• Polish: święcić (pl) impf, poświęcić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: consagrar (pt)
• Quechua: willkachay
• Russian: освяща́ть (ru) impf (osvjaščátʹ), освяти́ть (ru) pf (osvjatítʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: coisrig, naomhaich
• Spanish: consagrar (es)
• Tok Pisin: tambuim
• Ukrainian: висвя́чувати (vysvjáčuvaty), ви́святити pf (výsvjatyty), освя́чувати impf (osvjáčuvaty), освяти́ти pf (osvjatýty)
• Welsh: cysegru (cy)

Etymology 2

First attested in the late 14^th 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.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈkɒnsəkɹət/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈkɑnsəkɹət/
• Hyphenation: con‧se‧crate

Adjective

consecrate (comparative more consecrate, superlative most consecrate)

1. (archaic, obsolete, as a participle) Consecrated.
   • 1791, William Cowper, Iliad, IV. 484:

     Led to the city consecrate to Mars.

2. (rare, as a participial adjective) Consecrated, devoted, dedicated, sacred.
   • c. 1594 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Comedie of Errors”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene ii], page 89, column 1:

     And that this body conſecrate to thee,
     By Ruffian Luſt ſhould be contaminate!

   • 1622, Francis, Lord Verulam, Viscount St. Alban [i.e. Francis Bacon], The Historie of the Raigne of King Henry the Seventh, […], London: […] W[illiam] Stansby for Matthew Lownes, and William Barret, →OCLC:

     They were assembled in that consecrate place.

Anagrams

• concreates

Latin

Verb

cōnsecrāte

1. second-person plural present active imperative of cōnsecrō