Definition

1. Verb:
   • To preserve and protect something as sacred or highly valued: To treat something with great reverence and care, often by placing it in a special protective setting.
   • To enclose or place (a sacred relic) in a shrine: The literal act of putting a holy object inside a shrine or other revered container for veneration and safekeeping.

Usage and Examples

• To preserve and protect as sacred:
  • The principles of freedom are enshrined in the nation's constitution.
  • The museum's mission is to enshrine the cultural heritage of the region.
• To enclose in a shrine:
  • The relics were enshrined in a golden casket.
  • They will enshrine the saint's remains in the new chapel.

Advanced Usage

• "to be enshrined in law/memory/history": To be given permanent, formal, or revered status within a system, tradition, or collective consciousness.
  • The right to vote is enshrined in law.
  • Her bravery is enshrined in the memory of all who knew her.

Variants and Related Words

• Shrine (n): A place regarded as holy because of its associations with a divinity, a sacred relic, or a venerated person.
• Enshrinement (n): The act of enshrining or the state of being enshrined.
  • The enshrinement of the charter marked a historic moment.

Synonyms

• Cherish: To protect and care for lovingly; to hold dear.
• Consecrate: To make or declare something sacred.
• Preserve: To maintain something in its original or existing state.
• Venerate: To regard with great respect; to revere.

Antonyms

• Desecrate: To treat a sacred place or thing with violent disrespect.
• Profane: To treat something sacred with irreverence or disrespect.
• Neglect: To fail to care for properly.

Related Phrases and Idioms

• "to enshrine in perpetuity": To preserve something forever, often formally.
  • The donation will enshrine the collection in perpetuity for public viewing.

Verb

1. hold sacred
2. enclose in a shrine
   • the saint's bones were enshrined in the cathedral