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.
5. 1. To open (a building, for example) to public use.
   2. To show to the public for the first time: dedicate a monument.

[Middle English dedicaten, from Latin dēdicāre, dēdicāt- : dē-, de- + dicāre, to proclaim.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.