dedicate. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.

dedicate

SYLLABICATION:	ded·i·cate
PRONUNCIATION:	dd-kt
TRANSITIVE VERB:	Inflected forms: ded·i·cat·ed, ded·i·cat·ing, ded·i·cates 1. To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. 2. To set apart for a special use: dedicated their money to scientific research. 3. To commit (oneself) to a particular course of thought or action: dedicated ourselves to starting our own business. See synonyms at devote. 4. To address or inscribe (a literary work, for example) to another as a mark of respect or affection. 5a. To open (a building, for example) to public use. b. To show to the public for the first time: dedicate a monument.
ETYMOLOGY:	Middle English dedicaten, from Latin ddicre, ddict- : d-, de- + dicre, to proclaim; see deik- in Appendix I.
OTHER FORMS:	dedi·cator —NOUN


The American Heritage^® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.