Etymograph

English

consecration

Consecration comes from Latin cōnsecrātiō ‘dedication, consecration’, 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. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecrātiō2‘dedication, consecration’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1845consecration2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin consecratio
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English consecration
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1845, William Palmer, Origines Liturgicae: “Inthronization, in ancient times, immediately succeeded the rite of…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*seh₂k-Wiktionary, Latin consecratio‘to make a pact, treaty’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*sh₂krósWiktionary, Latin consecratioreconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrosWiktionary, Latin consecratio‘sacred’reconstructed
  4. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*sakrāōWiktionary, Latin consecratio‘to sanctify’reconstructed
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEsacrōWiktionary, Latin consecratio
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecrōWiktionary, Latin consecratio‘to consecrate or dedicate’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcōnsecrātiōWiktionary, English consecration‘dedication, consecration’
  8. Englishearliest quotation 1845consecrationWiktionary, English consecration. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1845, William Palmer, Origines Liturgicae: “Inthronization, in ancient times, immediately succeeded the rite of…”

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

noun The act or ceremony of consecrating; the state of being consecrated; dedication.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “consecration”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin consecratio. 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- / consecration

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