Obsecrating

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Earnestly pleading with someone in the name of something sacred or deeply important
2. Begging urgently and humbly for a favor, often by invoking a higher authority or a holy name
3. Entreating someone fervently and persistently, as a supplicant would before a powerful or divine figure

Etymology: "Obsecrating" is the present participle of "obsecrate", a verb meaning to beg or entreat earnestly, usually in the name of something sacred. The verb is an older English borrowing from the Latin "obsecrare", built from "ob-", meaning "before" or "for the sake of", and "sacrare", to consecrate or make sacred. The literal sense is close to calling down a sacred power on a request, so that the plea is made as if before the divine. Because the root word "sacred" sits inside it, "obsecrate" is a neat example of a Latin word that carried religious weight into everyday pleading. Its use in English has always been rare and formal, which is why it often reads as archaic today. The participle form simply follows the verb's regular pattern, dropping the final "e" and adding "-ing".

Synonyms: beseech, implore, entreat, supplicate, adjure