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sanctify

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Sanctify is to make something holy, give something legitimacy or to set something apart through religious ceremony.

(verb)

When a priest blesses a marriage and gives it validity in the eyes of a church, this is an example of a time when the priest sanctifies the marriage.

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See sanctify in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb sanctified, sanctifying

to make holy; specif.,
1. to set apart as holy; consecrate
2. to make free from sin; purify
to make binding or inviolable by a religious sanction
to make productive of spiritual blessing
to make seem morally right or binding: a practice sanctified by custom

Origin: ME sanctifien, altered (infl. by L) < OFr saintifier < LL(Ec) sanctificare: see saint & -fy

Related Forms:

sanctification noun
sanctifier noun

See sanctify in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb sanc·ti·fied, sanc·ti·fy·ing, sanc·ti·fies

To set apart for sacred use; consecrate.
To make holy; purify.
To give religious sanction to, as with an oath or vow: sanctify a marriage.
To give social or moral sanction to.
To make productive of holiness or spiritual blessing.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English seintefien, sanctifien

Origin: , from Old French saintifier

Origin: , from Late Latin sānctificāre

Origin: : Latin sānctus, holy

Origin: , from past participle of sancīre, to consecrate; see sak- in Indo-European roots

Origin: + Latin -ficāre, -fy

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Related Forms:

sancˌti·fi·caˈtion (-fĭ-kāˈshən) noun

sancˈti·fiˌer noun

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