'sacralize' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'sacer', where 'sacer' meant 'sacred'. The English verb-forming suffix '-ize' comes ultimately from Greek '-izein' meaning 'to make' or 'to do'.

'sacralize' changed from the Latin adjective 'sacrālis' (relating to sacred things), which gave rise to the English adjective 'sacral', and English formed the verb 'sacralize' by adding the suffix '-ize' to 'sacral'.

Initially it meant 'to make or render sacred', and this core meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage though it has acquired specific anatomical senses in technical contexts.