# dedicate

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪt/ · frequency rank #14,733

## Definitions
1. To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate.
2. To set apart for a special use.
3. To commit (oneself) to a particular course of thought or action.
4. To address or inscribe (a literary work, for example) to another as a mark of respect or affection.
5. To open (a building, for example) to public use.
6. To show to the public for the first time.

## Etymology
From Middle English dedicaten (“to dedicate”), from dedicat(e) (“dedicated”, also used as the past participle of dedicaten) + -en (verb-forming suffix), from Latin dēdicātus, the perfect passive participle of dēdicō (“to dedicate, proclaim”), see -ate (verb-forming suffix).

## Easily confused with
- **deviate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dedicate-vs-deviate)
- **delicate** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dedicate-vs-delicate)
- **dedicated** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dedicate-vs-dedicated)

## Common misspellings (11)
`ddedicate`, `ddeicate`, `dedciate`, `deddicate`, `dediacte`, `dedicaet`, `dedicatte`, `dediccate`, `dedictae`, `deidcate`, `eddicate`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dedicate