Etymograph

English

consecrate

Consecrate comes from Middle English consecraten ‘to dedicate, consecrate’, from Proto-Italic *sakrāō ‘to sanctify’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- ‘to make a pact, treaty’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-1‘to make a pact, treaty’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krós1reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakros1‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrāō1‘to sanctify’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrō1
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecrō1‘to consecrate or dedicate’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500consecraten1‘to dedicate, consecrate’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1863consecrate1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English consecrate
  2. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1863, Abraham Lincoln, Bliss copy: “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-Wiktionary, English consecrate‘to make a pact, treaty’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krósWiktionary, English consecratereconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrosWiktionary, English consecrate‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrāōWiktionary, English consecrate‘to sanctify’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrōWiktionary, English consecrate
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecrōWiktionary, English consecrate‘to consecrate or dedicate’
  7. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500consecratenWiktionary, English consecrate‘to dedicate, consecrate’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1863consecrateWiktionary, English consecrate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1863, Abraham Lincoln, Bliss copy: “But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate—we…”

The story

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).

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- ‘to make a pact, treaty’

saint, santo, sanction, sanctity, sanctification, 11 more

through Proto-Italic *sakros ‘sacred’

sacrilege, 8 more

through Proto-Italic *sakrāō ‘to sanctify’

sacramental, 3 more

through Latin sacrō

sacrament, sacre, 4 more

Today it means

verb To declare something holy, or make it holy by some procedure.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “consecrate”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *seh₂k- / consecrate

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