DEDICATE

dedicate

(verb) set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church

dedicate

(verb) inscribe or address by way of compliment; “She dedicated her book to her parents”

give, dedicate, consecrate, commit, devote

(verb) give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause; “She committed herself to the work of God”; “give one’s talents to a good cause”; “consecrate your life to the church”

dedicate

(verb) open to public use, as of a highway, park, or building; “The Beauty Queen spends her time dedicating parks and nursing homes”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

---

Etymology

Verb

dedicate (third-person singular simple present dedicates, present participle dedicating, simple past and past participle dedicated)

(transitive) To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate.

(transitive) To set apart for a special use

(transitive) To commit (oneself) to a particular course of thought or action

(transitive) To address or inscribe (a literary work, for example) to another as a mark of respect or affection.

(transitive) To open (a building, for example) to public use.

(transitive) To show to the public for the first time

Synonyms

• (set apart for religious purposes): behallow, hallow; see also consecrate

• (set apart for a special use): allocate, earmark; see also set apart

• (commit to a particular course): devote

Adjective

dedicate (comparative more dedicate, superlative most dedicate)

(obsolete) Dedicated; set apart; devoted; consecrated.

Source: Wiktionary

---

Ded"i*cate, p. a. Etym: [L. dedicatus, p. p. of dedicare to affirm, to dedicate; de- + dicare to declare, dedicate; akin to dicere to say. See Diction.]

Definition: Dedicated; set apart; devoted; consecrated. "Dedicate to nothing temporal." Shak.

Syn.

– Devoted; consecrated; addicted.

Ded"i*cate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Dedicated; p. pr. & vb. n. Dedicating.]

1. To set apart and consecrate, as to a divinity, or for sacred uses; to devote formally and solemnly; as, to dedicate vessels, treasures, a temple, or a church, to a religious use. Vessels of silver, and vessels of gold, . . . which also king David did dedicate unto the Lord. 2 Sam. viii. 10, 11. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. . . . But in a larger sense we can not dedicate, we can not consecrate, we can not hallow this ground. A. Lincoln.

2. To devote, set apart, or give up, as one's self, to a duty or service. The profession of a soldier, to which he had dedicated himself. Clarendon.

3. To inscribe or address, as to a patron. He complied ten elegant books, and dedicated them to the Lord Burghley. Peacham.

Syn.

– See Addict.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

---