▪ I. † ˈsacre, n.1 Obs.
[a. OF. sacre, of twofold formation: (1) in sense 1, ad. L. sacrum, orig. neut. of sacer adj., sacred; (2) in sense 2, a verbal noun from sacre-r to consecrate (see sacre v.1).]
1. A religious observance or festival; pl. rites of worship.
| a 1500 Chaucer's Dreme 2135 Which tent was church perochiall Ordaint was in especiall For the feast and for the sacre Where archbishop, and archdiacre Song ful out the seruise. 1542 Udall Erasm. Apoph. 59 b, She customably resorted to all places, where any solemnitee of sacres or martes was. Ibid. 340 b, The sacres of Ceres. 1548 ― Erasm. Par. Luke i. 17 The ministring of the sacres and holy rites in the temple. |
2. Consecration. a. The coronation of a sovereign. b. The festival of Corpus Christi. rare.
| 1584 [Card. Allen] Def. Eng. Cath. 51 They [sc. the bishops] doubted also lest she [sc. Elizabeth] would refuse in the verie time of her sacre, the solemne diuine ceremonie of vnction (accustomed in the consecration of al Christian princes). 1653 Urquhart Rabelais ii. xxii, The next day was the great festival of Corpus Christi called the Sacre. |
▪ II. † ˈsacre, a.1 Obs. rare.
[ad. L. sacr-, sacer.]
Sacred.
| 1513 More Rich. III (1883) 60 The sacre magesty of a prince. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. VIII 199 There dyd swere that they woulde obey the sacre & holy counsels, & woulde follow the Decrees of the Fathers. 1577–87 Holinshed Chron. III. 924/2 The..decrees and constitutions of the sacre and holie church. |
▪ III. † ˈsacre, v.1 Obs.
Forms: inf. 3–7 sacre, (3 sacri, 5 sacryn, sakyre, sakor). pa. tense and pa. pple. 3–4 sacrede, 3–5 sacrid, 4 sakred, (Sc.) sacryt, 4–5 (Sc.) sacrite, 5 sacride, sakird, sakyrd(e, sakeret, sacryed, (Sc.) sacrit, 5–6 sacryd, 6 (Sc.) sacreit, 3–7 sacred; also pa. pple. 3 i-sacret, 3–5 i-sacred, 4 y-sacred(e, 5 y-, i-sacryd.
[a. F. sacre-r (12th c. in Hatz.-Darm.), = Pr., Pg. sagrar, It. sacrare, sagrare, ad. L. sacrāre, f. sacr-, sacer sacred.]
1. trans. a. To consecrate (the elements, or the body and blood of Christ) in the Mass.
| a 1225 Ancr. R. 268 Ase ofte ase þe preost messeð & sacreð þet meidenes bearn, Jesu. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 7209 Vor prustes mid vnclene honden..sacrieþ godes fless & is blod. 1340 Ayenb. 235 Þet bodi of our lorde Iesu crist þet þe prestes sacreþ and onderuongeþ and betakeþ oþren. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VIII. 9 Anon þey brouȝte an obley þat was i-sacred. c 1485 Digby Myst. iii. 2068, I sakor þe body of ower lord Iesu cryst. |
| absol. a 1225 Ancr. R. 34 Efter þe messecos, hwon þe preost sacreð, þer uorȝiteð al þene world, & þer beoð al vt of bodi. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 30 It semiþ hem to preche, it is profit to bles, it is congrew to sacre. c 1460 Play Sacram. 363 He hath oftyn sacred as yt ys skylle. |
b. To celebrate (the Eucharist).
| a 1240 Lofsong in Cott. Hom. 207 Þe holi sacrement..þet ðe preost sacreð. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 7038 To sacre þe haly sacrement. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. (Rolls) II. 424 King Druskene with his lordis ilkone Into the tempill present at the mes, Solempnitlie quhen it sacreit than wes. |
c. To sacrifice. rare—1.
| c 1250 Gen. & Ex. 612 Wið-uten ilc seuend clene der ðe he sacrede on an aucter. Ibid. 938 Ðre der he toc, ilc ðre ȝer hold, And sacrede god on an wold. |
d. ? To worship. rare—1.
| 1390 Gower Conf. III. 243 Hire god Moloch that with encense He sacreth, and doth reverence In such a wise as sche him bad. |
2. a. To consecrate (a king, bishop, etc.) to office. Const. with compl. object (in pass., subject); also to (an office), to, into (bishop).
| c 1290 Beket 301 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 115 Þat dai of þe Trinite bischop i-sacret he was And onder-feng þis dignete. 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 10719, & maister Richard þe grant in is stede was ido & wende uorþ to rome to sacri him þer to. a 1375 Joseph Arim. 300 Ihesu..sacrede him to Bisschop wiþ boto his hondes. c 1420 Chron. Vilod. 1586 To sacre hurre abbas of þe abbay of Wynchestre. a 1450 Myrc Festial 12 And sakeret hym byschoppe. c 1450 St. Cuthbert (Surtees) 6494 Aftir warde, at ȝorke cite, Sakird solemply was he Of archebischop theodere. 1504 Lady Margaret tr. De Imitatione iv. v. 267 Beholde nowe thou arte made a preste and sacreyd to doo his holye mysterye. a 1548 Hall Chron., Hen. IV 9 b, Henry Plantagenet..was at Westminster with great solemnitee and royal pompe, sacred, enoynted and crouned King by the name of Kyng Henry the fourth. 1606 G. W[oodcocke] tr. Justin, Epit. Emp. Ll 5 b, Rodolph the second, eldest son of Maximilian, was sacred Emperour in the yeare 1577. 1631 Weever Anc. Funeral Mon. 251 Petronius was sacred to this Ecclesiasticall dignitie by Archbishop Honorius. a 1648 Ld. Herbert Hen. VIII (1683) 53 This Prince was Sacred (to use the French term) at Reymes 25 of January, 1515. |
| arch. 1976 N. Roberts Face of France xxv. 229 French kings, with rare exceptions have been sacred in Reims Cathedral. |
b. Said of the vessel used in anointing. rare—1.
| 1644 Evelyn Diary 6 June, The Holy Ampoule, the same with that which sacres their Kings at Rhemes, this being the one which anoynted Hen. IV. |
c. To unite in the sacrament of marriage; to celebrate (a marriage).
| c 1425 Brut 365 And þere the Bischop of Worcestre wedded & sacred ham to-gedir, as holy churche it wolde. Ibid. 368 Þere was this lady weddid and sacryd to þe King of Denmark with moche solempnite. c 1440 Jacob's Well 53 And ȝif it [an unlawful marriage] be sacryd, þer owyth be lawe to be made a deuorce. 1485 Caxton Chas. Gt. 198 And the bysshop sacred and blessed them. |
3. To hallow, bless, sanctify, make holy.
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 480 Ȝif freris founden wordis to sacre þe armes of a prest. c 1394 P. Pl. Crede 186 Seyntes y-sacred opon erþe. 1530 Tindale Answ. More Wks. (1573) 253/1 The bishop sacreth the one [oyle] as well as the other. 1545 T. Raynalde Byrth Mankynde Prol. C j, To sacre, halow, yea and with theyr holye poeticall spiryte to breath ouer this booke. 1601 Holland Pliny x. vi. I. 274 They vsually lay three egs, whereof they take one of them to sacre and blesse (as it were) the other eggs and the nest, and then soon after they cast it away. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 251 To thinke, that God had sacred that Number [ten] above all other. 1627–77 Feltham Resolves ii. lix. 283 Prayer does sacre all our Actions. |
4. a. To dedicate (a person) to a deity; chiefly pass.
| 13.. E.E. Allit. P. B. 1139 For when a sawele is saȝtled & sakred to dryȝtyn, He holly haldes hit his. c 1450 Godstow Reg. 49 With hys two dowhters there I-sacryd to god. 1621 Bp. R. Montagu Diatribæ 514 A yeerely Feast was there kept in honour of Diana, whereat all the young maides in the Countrey aboue fiue yeeres old, and vnder ten, were sacred, and dedicated vnto Diana. a 1641 ― Acts & Mon. (1642) 204 He promiseth forgivenesse of sins by washings, and in this sort, as yet he sacreth men to Wittnes, where he signeth his soldiers in the forehead. |
b. To dedicate (something) to (a particular person, a deity, or some special purpose).
| c 1477 Caxton Jason 84 b, Whan Jason..had sacred his shyp unto the Goddesse Pallas and to the goddesse of the see. 1513 Douglas æneis vi. i. 160 And, O thow blissit woman, onto the Wise walit men [I] sall dedicat and sacre. 1587 A. Day Daphnis & Chloe (1890) 9 Diuers flutes..which the auncient Shepheards had often totore-time sacred vnto the Nimphes for their greatest offrings. 1591 Sylvester Du Bartas i. v. 558 Here with solemn vowes I sacre Unto thy glory..My Heart and Art, my Voyse, Hand, Harp, and all. 1608 Ibid. ii. iv. Schisme Ded. 12 This Tract I sacre unto Sackvil's Name. 1620 Capt. Smith New Eng. Trials Ep. Ded., How euer you please to dispose of him, that humbly sacreth himselfe and best abilities to his Countries good. |
c. To make (a class of thing, as a tribe of animals, etc.) sacred to a deity.
| 1633 Bp. Hall Occas. Medit. §65 The ancients have sacred this Bird [the owl] to wisdome. |
5. To take a solemn oath. rare—1.
| c 1380 Sir Ferumb. 1405 ‘Ȝe’, said he, ‘þat wil y do, do say me now þy wille’. ‘Þat wil y noȝt’, quaþ sche þo, ‘til þou me han sakred tille’. Þan Olyuer huld vp his hant; trewely for to holde By his power þat couenant. |
6. nonce-use. To cremate as a religious act.
| 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 46 Their Funerals are of the old stamp..sacring the Corps to Ashes in a holy fire. |
▪ IV. sacre
see sacry, saker, sakre.