/ kənˈsaɪn; NAmE / verb [ vn ] ( formal )
1.
consign sb/sth to sth to put sb/sth somewhere in order to get rid of them / it :
I consigned her letter to the waste basket.
What I didn't want was to see my mother consigned to an old people's home.
2.
consign sb/sth to sth to put sb/sth in an unpleasant situation :
The decision to close the factory has consigned 6 000 people to the scrap heap .
A car accident consigned him to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
3.
to give or send sth to sb
••
WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (in the sense mark with the sign of the cross , especially at baptism or confirmation, as a sign of dedication to God): from French consigner or Latin consignare mark with a seal.