[verb] [T] [formal] - to make (an event or place) holyAt one time, marriages were always sanctified by the church, but this is not the case now.Each side in the religious conflict believed that it had been sanctified by the grace of God. [T](figurative) This system has been sanctified by years of practice (= made acceptable because it has been done for many years).See also sanctity.
SANCTIFY
Meaning of SANCTIFY in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012