dedication

Originated 1350–1400 from Middle English dedicacioun, from Old French dedicacion (“consecration of a church or chapel”), from Latin dēdicātiō, equivalent to dēdicātus+-iōn.

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪʃən

dedication (countable and uncountable, plural dedications)

1. (uncountable) The act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated.

   Synonym: dedicatedness

   Hyponyms: diligence, devotion

   work with dedication

   Her dedication is admirable.

2. (countable) A note addressed to a patron or friend, prefixed to a work of art as a token of respect, esteem, or affection.

   Her dedication for the book was only a cryptic "Once again, for T".

3. (countable) The event, or the ceremony celebrating it, marking an official completion, opening, or beginning.

   Hyponyms: baby dedication, consecration (e.g. for a church building)

   The building's dedication is scheduled for next week.

4. (law) The deliberate or negligent surrender of all rights to property.

   the dedication of this right-of-way

• baby dedication

• “dedication”, in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edition, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, 2000, →ISBN.
• “dedication”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• "dedication" in WordNet 2.0, Princeton University, 2003.
• "dedication" in the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, Merriam-Webster, 1996.

• conidiated, eddication