consecrate

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To declare or set apart as sacred: consecrate a church.
2. v. Christianity To produce the ritual transformation of (the elements of the Eucharist) into the body and blood of Jesus.
3. v. Christianity To sanctify (bread and wine) for use in Communion.
4. v. Christianity To initiate (a priest) into the order of bishops.
5. v. To dedicate solemnly to a service or goal. See Synonyms at devote.
6. v. To make venerable; hallow: a tradition consecrated by time.
7. adj. Dedicated to a sacred purpose; sanctified.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To make or declare sacred with certain ceremonies or rites; appropriate to sacred uses or employments; set apart, dedicate, or devote to the service of the Deity: as, to consecrate a church; to consecrate the eucharistic elements. See consecration, 1.
2. Specifically, in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches, to initiate solemnly into the order of bishops, as a priest. See consecration, . To devote or dedicate from profound feeling or a religious motive: as, his life was consecrated to the service of the poor.
3. To make revered or worshiped, or highly regarded; hallow: as, a custom consecrated by time.
4. To place among the gods; apotheosize.
5. To enroll among the saints; canonize. Synonyms and Devote, Dedicate, etc. See devote.
6. Sacred; consecrated; devoted; dedicated.

Wiktionary

1. v. To declare, or otherwise make something holy.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. adj. Consecrated; devoted; dedicated; sacred.
2. v. To make, or declare to be, sacred; to appropriate to sacred uses; to set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service or worship of God.
3. v. To set apart to a sacred office.
4. v. To canonize; to exalt to the rank of a saint; to enroll among the gods, as a Roman emperor.
5. v. To render venerable or revered; to hallow; to dignify.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. appoint to a clerical posts
2. v. dedicate to a deity by a vow
3. v. give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause
4. adj. solemnly dedicated to or set apart for a high purpose
5. v. render holy by means of religious rites