Definition/Meaning of Sacrifice?

[Wm777]

Seeking to validate an assumption in this one…

The word “consecrate” literally means “to set aside for religious use”.
It is, I think, synonymous with “sanctify”.

But what I’m trying to figure out is, if to consecrate/sanctify something means to sacrifice that thing?

There seem to be differences. Some sacrifices are completely destroyed in their giving over to God. But blessing something like a crucifix is a sort of consecration, and yet the crucifix isn’t destroyed - it’s just blessed/consecrated and set aside for religious us.

So… is consecrating an object the same thing as making a sacrifice of it?

 

[RenaissanceMensch]

I think it’s fair to say that sacrifices, by nature, involve complete surrender or destruction of the thing sacrificed, while consecration merely sets it aside for dedicated use. Obviously the distinction isn’t neat, since, e.g., ordination is a kind of consecration, and (at least in the Roman rite) it entails some sacrifice (namely commitment to perfect and perpetual continence). So while there is always some kind of sacrificial element to consecration, in that committing a thing to sacred service necessarily means removing at least some licit profane uses of it, sacrifice properly speaking entails surrender.