sacr-, sacro-

Translation: "The cursed hunger for gold."

Those who live only to acquire wealth are characterized by Virgil as having auri sacra fames, or of being "money-mad".

Someone who has a special desire to collect religious objects: Elizabeth's elderly friend was a devoted consecraphile who had boxes of religious objects that she had collected from many different religions around the world.

1. To declare or to set apart a building, area of ground, or specific spot as holy: The religious leader consecrated the home of the pious woman because she had done so many good deeds in the community.
2. To dedicate someone or something to a particular purpose: When Amy's first child was born, she thought of consecrating him to a life as a Christian priest.
3. To cause a tradition to be revered: Over many years the custom of bowing before the religious leader was consecrated and respected.
4. To sanctify the bread and wine for use in the Communion service as symbols that represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ: The pastor of the church will consecrate the elements of communion and distribute them to his congregation.
5. To ordain a priest as a bishop: When he was consecrated as a bishop, Jason vowed to advance social justice issues in the church.
6. To officially make something sacred and able to be used for religious ceremonies: The garments of the priest were consecrated by the bishop and were used only during special religious occasions.

1. Set apart or dedicated to the service of a deity: As the new pastor, Manfred was in awe with a feeling of consecratedness that enveloped him when he walked into his church.
2. An object of honor or veneration: The mountain top had a special consecratedness for the hunters who believed their good fortune depended on keeping a fire burning on the hillside all night before a hunt.
3. Dedicated solemnly to a service or goal: Danielle announced her consecratedness to a life of science, writing, service to people, etc.

1. A process, an act, or a ceremony that gives a religious endorsement of something or someone as being dedicated to religious purposes: The consecration of the residence for homeless people by the church was completed with the singing of hymns by all who attended.
2. A solemn commitment of one's life or time to some cherished purpose; such as, to a service or a goal in life: As a young man, Christopher vowed the consecration of his career to medicine in order to help others to live a better life.

1. To cause harm to something holy, or to do harm to that which is offensive to the religious nature of something: The local vandals were accused of desecrating several graves by throwing paint on the sites at the cemetery.
2. To damage something that is held dear or which is revered: People were warned not to desecrate the flags of any of the countries that were participating in the international sports event.
3. To treat something that has special religious respect to a profane (disrespectful) use or purpose: A homeless street person went into the church, which was open for those who wanted to come in and pray, and desecrated the holy water font by washing his hands and face, which normally is used by worshippers who enter to dip their fingers into and to cross themselves. © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. A violator of the respected character of a place or a language: The soldier on horseback was viewed as a descrater of the church after riding his horse into the sanctuary.
2. The disrespectful or contemptuous treatment of that which is held to be greatly honored by others: Two soldiers were accused of being desecraters of the religious books of their prisoners.

1. Blasphemous behavior or the act of depriving something of its divine character: It was a complete desecration of the cemetery when the army drove their tanks through the burial grounds.
2. Damage done to or showing no respect towards something holy or very much respected: The desecration of the windows of the church was heart breaking for the congregation when they saw what had happened.

1. Regarding something of extremely bad or very low quality: Isaac's cousin has execrable taste when it comes to clothes.
2. A reference to something that deserves to be abhorred or loathed: Henrietta's execrable behavior during the party was disgusting, probably as a result of drinking too much wine.
3. Etymology: from Latin execrabilis, exsecrabilis, from execrari, exsecrari, "to curse" or "to wish something awful, evil, or a misfortune will fall on someone or some group"; from ex-, "out of, from" + sacare, "to set apart as sacred, to consecrate"; from the stem of sacer, "holy, sacred". © ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
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Conveying how a person's behavior is most detestable and of the worst kind: For some unknown reason, Henry's uncle has always execrably treated women with hatred.

1. To feel loathing for someone or something: Alison was execrating over the thought of having to complete the marathon during the heat wave.
2. To declare a person or something to be loathsome; arousing intense dislike and disgust: Because of his continual lying, Hester execrated Jack to all who would listen to her.
3. To curse or to put a curse on someone or something: Ashton paid the fortune teller to execrate his rival in his love affair with Gertrude.

The Egyptian slave in the cartoon below execrated the designer of the pyramid with a curse that an asp, or poisonous snake, would bite him.

4. Etymology: from Latin, exsecratus, execratus, past participle of exsecrari, execrari, "to curse, to detest"; from ex-,"out of, from" + sacare, "to set apart as sacred, to consecrate"; from the stem of sacer, "holy, sacred". © ALL rights are reserved.

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1. An appeal to some supernatural power to inflict evil on someone or some group: The evil person spoke an execration to threaten the group that was camping in the forest.
2. Hate coupled with disgust: Shirley only had feelings of anger and execration for the people who destroyed the neighbor's house with fire.
3. Something that is cursed or loathed: The headlines in the newspaper presented execrations regarding the fraudulent banker who stole so much money.
4. Etymology: from Latin execrationem, a noun of action from execrari, "to hate, to curse"; from ex-, "out" + sacrare, "to devote to holiness, to consecrate"; from sacer, "sacred".

Translation: "[From] here [we receive] light and sacred draughts [libations]."

Motto of Cambridge University, U.K. It is also translated as, "Hence light and the sacred draughts [of wisdom]."

According to the Queens' College Web site (one of the colleges associated with Cambridge University), "[From] here [we receive] light and sacred draughts. The 'here' being the University (or the Alma Mater, nursing mother), and 'light and sacred draughts' being metaphors for knowledge."

1. To beseech; to supplicate, to beg; to implore; to pray earnestly: Kneeling before the sacred stones, Mordred was obsecrating to the spirits for a good harvest.
2. Etymology: from Latin obsecratus, obsecrare, "to beseech, to entreat on religious grounds"; from ob-, "toward" and sacrare, "to make" or "to declare sacred"; from Latin sacer, "holy, sacred".

1. The act of praying or begging for intervention by one's God or by one's friends, neighbors, or relatives: In his obsecration, the farmer implored the assistance of his neighbors during the time of the flood.
2. Entreating solemnly; beseeching; supplicating: After Sam lost everything during the tornado storms, he tried to utilize obsecration with government officials for enough funding so he could rebuild his home for his family.
3. Asking for something humbly or earnestly, as by praying: Janice was a scholarship applicant who even tried obsecration in hopes of being accepted by the university of her choice.