What is the Latin word for consecrate?

The usual Latin words for “consecrate” are dēdicō, inaugurō, cōnsecrō; also Ammiānus, sacrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“consecrate” in Latin

dēdicōto dedicate, consecrate; to proclaim; to commit to inaugurōto divine, practice augury, take omens from the flight of birds; to consecrate, inaugurate, approve on the basis of omen cōnsecrōTo consecrate or dedicate; To hallow or sanctify; To deify Ammiānusa masculine praenomen, famously held by sacrōto declare or set apart as sacred; consecrate, dedicate, hallow or devote; sanctify, enshrine; to doom or devote to dest

The English word consecrate itself goes back to Latin sacrō, through cōnsecrātus.

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

consecrate

to make holy by ceremonies, dedicare: inaugurare (to consecrate; inaugurare also in speaking of a person; e.g., of a priest. ☞ Dedicare is only used of things which relate immediately to the cultus of the gods, as statues, images, altars, temples, etc.: if it was performed by the augurium, it was termed inaugurare): consecrare (to make holy or sacred, of anything, even of fields and animals; the consecratio might be performed by anybody, the dedicare only by a magistrate, to whom the pontifex, in that case, repeated or dictated the customary form of words): cultui divino sacrare (to consecrate for purposes of worship, Ammianus). To consecrate an altar, aram dedicare, consecrare: to consecrate a temple to a god, deo delubrum dedicare or templum consecrare: to consecrate anybody (as a god), aliquem deum consecrare. Consecrated, sacratus; consecratus; sacer (holy, as the quality of the gods): religiosus (sacred). Fig., to dedicate, dedicare: dicare: offerre (to offer): diis primitias offerre. to consecrate one’s life to the service of one’s country, vitam suam totam patriae dedere.

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for consecrate?: The usual Latin words for “consecrate” are dēdicō, inaugurō, cōnsecrō; also Ammiānus, sacrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.