ˌkänsə̇ˈkrāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English consecracioun, from Latin consecration-, consecratio, from consecratus + -ion-, -io -ion
1. : the solemn dedication (as of a person, thing, ideal) with or as if with religious rites and usually to some high purpose, office, or function: as
a. : ordination or elevation to a sacred or high office
consecration of a bishop
the … consecration of an English king — F.M.Stenton
b. : apotheosis especially of a Roman emperor or hero of classic literature
c. : the solemn dedication in perpetuity of a church or of vessels used in the Eucharist especially in the Roman Catholic Church
d. : devotion or appropriation to any special purpose
the consecration of money to a hobby
their consecration of all ingenuity to ridding the land of foreign troops
complete moral consecration which is at the base of Willa Cather's work — M.D.Geismar
2. often capitalized : the part of a Christian liturgy in which the bread and wine are consecrated — compare transubstantiation