dedicated

Dedicated is an adjective with several closely related senses. It can describe a person who is firmly committed to a task, cause, or relationship, showing perseverance and loyalty. It can also describe something set aside for a single, exclusive use, such as equipment, space, or services that are not shared with others.

When applied to people, dedicated conveys strong obligation or pursuit of a goal. In technical or logistical contexts, it denotes separation from general use to serve a particular function. Examples include a dedicated server, a dedicated line, or a dedicated workspace.

In technology, dedicated resources are allocated to one user or task to improve performance, reliability, or security compared with shared resources. In everyday language, dedicated is often paired with to, as in someone’s dedicated efforts to learn a craft or to care for a family member.

Origin and related terms: dedicated comes from Latin dedicatus, the past participle of dedicare, and entered English in the medieval period. Related nouns include dedication and devotion; related adjectives include devoted and committed.

See also: dedication, commitment, devotion, designation.