/ ˈsæŋktɪfaɪ; NAmE / verb ( sanc·ti·fies , sanc·ti·fied , sanc·ti·fy·ing , sanc·ti·fied ) [ vn ] [ usually passive ] ( formal )
1.
to make sth holy
2.
to make sth seem right or legal; to give official approval to sth :
This was a practice sanctified by tradition.
► sanc·ti·fi·ca·tion / ˌsæŋktɪfɪˈkeɪʃn; NAmE / noun [ U ]
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English : from Old French saintifier (influenced later by sanctifier ), from ecclesiastical Latin sanctificare , from Latin sanctus holy.