SANCTIFY

purify, purge, sanctify

(verb) make pure or free from sin or guilt; “he left the monastery purified”

consecrate, bless, hallow, sanctify

(verb) render holy by means of religious rites

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

sanctify (third-person singular simple present sanctifies, present participle sanctifying, simple past and past participle sanctified)

(transitive) To make holy; to consecrate; to set aside for sacred or ceremonial use.

(transitive) To free from sin; to purify.

(transitive) To make acceptable or useful under religious law or practice.

(transitive) To endorse with religious sanction.

Synonyms

• (to make holy): consecrate, hallow; see also consecrate

• (to free from sin): cleanse, purify

Antonyms

• * (to make holy): profane; see also desecrate

Source: Wiktionary


Sanc"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Sanctified; p. pr. & vb. n. Sanctifying.] Etym: [F. sanctifier, L. sanctificare; sanctus holy + - ficare (in comp.) to make. See Saint, and -fy.]

1. To make sacred or holy; to set apart to a holy or religious use; to consecrate by appropriate rites; to hallow. God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it. Gen. ii. 3. Moses . . . sanctified Aaron and his garnment. Lev. viii. 30.

2. To make free from sin; to cleanse from moral corruption and pollution; to purify. Sanctify them through thy truth. John xvii. 17.

3. To make efficient as the means of holiness; to render productive of holiness or piety. A means which his mercy hath sanctified so to me as to make me repent of that unjust act. Eikon Basilike.

4. To impart or impute sacredness, venerableness, inviolability, title to reverence and respect, or the like, to; to secure from violation; to give sanction to. The holy man, amazed at what he saw, Made haste to sanctify the bliss by law. Dryden. Truth guards the poet, sanctifies the line. Pope.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

13 June 2025

AIRPLANE

(noun) an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets; “the flight was delayed due to trouble with the airplane”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

Plain brewed coffee contains almost no calories, while coffee with dairy products, sugar, and other flavorings is much higher in calories. An espresso has 20 calories. A nonfat latte has 72, while a flavored one has 134.

coffee icon