1 beatification | Definition of beatification

beatify

verb
be·​at·​i·​fy | \ bē-ˈa-tə-ˌfī How to pronounce beatify (audio) \
beatified; beatifying

Definition of beatify

transitive verb

1 : to make supremely happy
2 Christianity : to declare to have attained the blessedness of heaven and authorize the title "Blessed" and limited public religious honor She was beatified six years after her death.

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Other Words from beatify

beatification \ bē-​ˌa-​tə-​fə-​ˈkā-​shən How to pronounce beatification (audio) \ noun

Examples of beatify in a Sentence

She was beatified by the Pope one hundred years after her death.

Recent Examples on the Web

Last year, the seven monks and 12 other religious sisters and Catholics killed during Algeria’s civil war were beatified in Algiers. Amira El Masaiti, The Seattle Times, "Pope tells Moroccans “we are brothers and sisters”," 31 Mar. 2019 Francis declared Romero a martyr in 2015, and Romero was beatified that same year. Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Oscar Romero, a martyr for social justice and the newest Catholic saint, explained," 15 Oct. 2018 Elena Mortara, who led a public protest by the family and Italy’s Jewish community when St. John Paul II beatified Pius in 2000, dismissed the value of the even the Spanish version of the memoir as a document. Washington Post, "Memoir of secretly baptized Jewish boy under new scrutiny," 20 Apr. 2018 Now the Vatican must confirm a miracle attributed to Hlond's intercession for him to be beatified, and a second one for him to be made a saint. Fox News, "Polish priest set for sainthood criticized for anti-Semitism," 4 July 2018 The status allows Angelelli to be beatified — the first step toward sainthood — without having a miracle attributed to his intercession. Fox News, "Pope clears way for beatification of slain Argentina bishop," 9 June 2018 The Vatican must still confirm a miracle attributed to his intercession for him to be beatified, and a second one for him to be made a saint. Washington Post, "Jewish group questions sainthood for WWII-era cardinal," 23 May 2018 Pope Paul, whom Pope Francis beatified in 2014, oversaw most of the Second Vatican Council, which lasted from 1962 to 1965, and opened the door for a variety of modernizing changes, including Mass in local languages instead of Latin. Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, "Pope Francis to Make El Salvador’s Oscar Romero a Saint," 19 May 2018 Elena Mortara, who led a public protest by the family and Italy's Jewish community when St. John Paul II beatified Pius in 2000, dismissed the value of the even the Spanish version of the memoir as a document. Nicole Winfield, Fox News, "Case of Jewish boy taken by pope flares over doctored memoir," 20 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'beatify.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of beatify

1535, in the meaning defined at sense 1

History and Etymology for beatify

borrowed from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French beatifier, borrowed from Late Latin beātificāre, verbal derivative of Latin beātificus "making happy" — more at beatific

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More Definitions for beatify

beatify

verb

English Language Learners Definition of beatify

in the Roman Catholic Church : to give a dead person a title of honor for being very good and holy

More from Merriam-Webster on beatify

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with beatify