seh₂k-
“to consecrate, to make sacred”consecrate
PIE root meaning to consecrate or make sacred. Related to words for holiness, sanctuary, and ritual dedication.
Discussion
*seh₂k- is a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to consecrate" or "to make sacred," closely related to or possibly identical with *sak- "to sanctify."
The root gives Hittite šākk- "to know" (with a semantic shift from sacred knowledge to knowledge generally), suggesting an archaic connection between consecration and esoteric knowing. Latin sancīre "to make sacred" (whence English sanction, saint, sanctuary) may reflect this root with a nasal infix, though most scholars derive those forms from *sak-.
The laryngeal *h₂ is evidenced by the a-coloring in daughter language reflexes. The semantic domain of consecration, setting apart, and ritual dedication connects this root to PIE religious vocabulary including *ḱred-dʰeh₁- "to believe" and *ǵʰew-t- "to invoke a god."
The distinction between *seh₂k- and *sak- is debated; they may represent different ablaut grades of the same root or genuinely distinct roots that converged semantically. Both contributed to the extensive Indo-European vocabulary of the sacred.
Modern reflexes are largely channeled through the *sak- form: sacred, saint, sanctuary, sacrosanct, and sacrament.
Notes
Source of Latin "sacrāre" (to consecrate), "sacer" (sacred). Core ritual root.