Sanctification is the act or process of acquiring sanctity, of being made or becoming
holy. "Sanctity" is an ancient concept widespread among
religions. It is a gift given through the power of God to a person or thing which is then considered
sacred or set apart in an official capacity within the religion, in general anything from a
temple, to vessels, to days of the week, to a
human believer who willingly accepts this gift can be sanctified. To sanctify is to literally "set apart for particular use in a special purpose or work and to make holy or sacred."
Etymologically, "sanctify" derives from the
Latin verb which in turn derives from
sanctus "holy" and "to make".