dedicate definition | Dictionary.com

ded⋅i⋅cate

[v. ded-i-keyt; adj. ded-i-kit]

verb, -cat⋅ed, -cat⋅ing, adjective

–verb (used with object)

1.	to set apart and consecrate to a deity or to a sacred purpose: The ancient Greeks dedicated many shrines to Aphrodite.

2.	to devote wholly and earnestly, as to some person or purpose: He dedicated his life to fighting corruption.

3.	to offer formally (a book, piece of music, etc.) to a person, cause, or the like in testimony of affection or respect, as on a prefatory page.

4.	(loosely) to inscribe a personal signature on (a book, drawing, etc., that is one's own work), usually with a salutation addressing the recipient.

5.	to mark the official completion or opening of (a public building, monument, highway, etc.), usually by formal ceremonies.

6.	to set aside for or assign to a specific function, task, or purpose: The county health agency has dedicated one inspector to monitor conditions in nursing homes.

–adjective

7.	dedicated.

Origin:
1375–1425; late ME (v. and adj.) < L dēdicātus ptp. of dēdicāre to declare, devote, equiv. to dē- de- + dicāre to indicate, consecrate, akin to dīcere to say, speak (see dictate )

Related forms:

ded⋅i⋅ca⋅tor, noun

Synonyms:
1. See devote. 2. commit, pledge, consecrate.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ded·i·cate (děd'ĭ-kāt')

tr.v. ded·i·cat·ed, ded·i·cat·ing, ded·i·cates

To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate.
To set apart for a special use: dedicated their money to scientific research.
To commit (oneself) to a particular course of thought or action: dedicated ourselves to starting our own business. See Synonyms at devote.
To address or inscribe (a literary work, for example) to another as a mark of respect or affection.
1. To open (a building, for example) to public use.
2. To show to the public for the first time: dedicate a monument.

[Middle English dedicaten, from Latin dēdicāre, dēdicāt- : dē-, de- + dicāre, to proclaim; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]
ded'i·ca'tor n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Dedicate

Ded"i*cate\, p. a. [L. dedicatus, p. p. of dedicare to affirm, to dedicate; de- + dicare to declare, dedicate; akin to dicere to say. See Diction.] Dedicated; set apart; devoted; consecrated. "Dedicate to nothing temporal." --Shak.

Syn: Devoted; consecrated; addicted.

Dedicate

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.

Language Translation for : dedicate

Spanish: dedicar, consagrar, sacrificar,

German: weihen,

Japanese: ささげる

More Translations »

dedicate

c.1386, from L. dedicatus, pp. of dedicare "consecrate, proclaim, affirm," from de- "away" + dicare "proclaim," from stem of dicere "to speak, to say" (see diction). Dedicated "devoted to one's aims or vocation" is first attested 1944.

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