Dedicare

Dedicare is a term found in several Romance-language contexts. In Romanian, it is a noun meaning dedication or devotion, used for the act of dedicating something or for a published dedication to a person or cause. The word signals commitment, consecration, or the attribution of a work to someone.

In Italian, dedicare is a verb meaning to dedicate or devote. It covers literal senses (to dedicate time or resources) and ceremonial or literary senses (to dedicate a book to someone). Typical usage includes phrases like dedicare tempo a un progetto or dedicare un libro a una persona.

Cognates exist in other Romance languages, including Spanish dedicar and Portuguese dedicar, with corresponding nouns dedicación and dedicação. In French, the related noun is dédicace, and in English the root is seen in dedication.

Etymology: The word ultimately derives from Latin dedicatio, via its Romance-language descendants, and is connected with devotion, consecration, and the assignment of a work or effort to a purpose.

Usage notes: The senses and spellings differ by language. In Romanian the noun dedicare is common in literary and formal contexts, whereas in Italian dedicare is a standard everyday verb used for both practical time management and symbolic acts of dedication.