Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DED'I-CATE, v.t. [L. dedico; de and dico, dicare, to vow, promise, devote, dedicate. See Class Dg, No. 12, 15, 45. The sense is to send, to throw; hence, to set, to appoint.]

1. To set apart and consecrate to a divine Being, or to a sacred purpose; to devote to a sacred use, by a solemn act or by religious ceremonies; as, to dedicate vessels, treasures, a temple, an altar, or a church, to God or to a religious use. Vessels of silver, of gold, and of brass, which King David did dedicate to the Lord. – 2 Sam. viii.
2. To appropriate solemnly to any person or purpose; to give wholly or chiefly to. The ministers of the Gospel dedicate themselves, their time and their studies, to the service of Christ. A soldier dedicates himself to the profession of arms.
3. To inscribe or address to a patron; as, to dedicate a book.