'sacralize' originates from Modern English, formed from the adjective 'sacral' + the verb-forming suffix '-ize'; 'sacral' ultimately comes from Latin 'sacer' meaning 'sacred'.

'sacer' (Latin) produced 'sacrālis' (Late Latin, meaning 'pertaining to the sacred'), which passed into Old French/Medieval Latin and into English as 'sacral'; later English formed the verb 'sacralize' by adding '-ize' to create 'to make sacred'.

Initially rooted in Latin meaning 'sacred,' the derived verb came to mean specifically 'to make or treat as sacred'; this core meaning has been retained though it now also has figurative uses.