christen

C3H4R1I1S1T1E1N1
/ˈkɹɪsən/

verb

To perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.

“I christen this ship the Bonny Barnacle.”

Similar
baptizebaptise
OriginMiddle English cristenen ← Old English cristnian →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Meanings

christen1

verbchristen (third-person singular simple present christens, present participle christening, simple past and past participle christened)

present singular third person christens · participle present christening · participle past christened · past christened · alternative dialectal kersen · alternative christian

  1. transitiveTo perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.

    The new baby was christened at the village church.

    1 more example

    Lewis the 9th of France, being asked by vvhat ſtile he vvould be called, ſaid, Levvis of Poyſſy. […] [S]aid he, I deſire to be called Levvis of Poyſſy, becauſe there I got the moſt glorious victory that ever I had; For there I overcame the Divell: meaning that he vvas chriſtned there.

    1651, “An Addition of Apothegmes by Severall Authors”, in George Herbert, Jacula Prudentum. Or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. […], London: […] T[homas] Maxey for T[imothy] Garthwait, […], →OCLC, page 183
  2. broadlytransitiveTo name.

    I christen this ship the Bonny Barnacle.

    2 more examples

    1684-1690, Thomas Burnet, Sacred Theory of the Earth Christen the thing what you will.

    The order to rename the oiler ship USNS Harvey Milk – christened four years ago – is unusual but is in line with the White House mandate to reverse a number of military initiatives by Democratic presidents.

    2025 June 4, Andy Rose, “Gay rights icon Harvey Milk’s legacy slighted by decision to rename Navy ship”, in CNN
  3. obsoleteTo Christianize.

    I must tell you that christianity hath new christened it

    1657, Jeremy Taylor, Discourse of the Nature, Offices and Measures of Friendship
  4. colloquialTo use for the first time.

    I christened my new boots today with a walk in the snow.

    1 more example

    Foo Fighters, the Pretenders, and Alex G christened Portland’s newest music venue Friday night, and it was a show for the ages.

    2024 August 19, Melissa Locker, “Foo Fighters Rock the Hell Out of Portland's New 30,000-Seat Stadium”, in Portland Mercury
  5. informalTo douse or wet with blood, urine, tears, or other liquid.

    I christened the facilities, shrugged into my windbreaker, and met Dolan at his door.

    2002, Sue Grafton, Q Is for Quarry
    4 more examples

    Thus was De Witt's colony, like Austin's, at the mouth of the Colorado, christened in blood, and thus for the moment ended the first effort to found a settlement within its limits.

    1892, John Henry Brown, History of Texas; from 1685 to 1892 - Volume 1, page 127

    Being christened by a urinating bare-bottomed newborn is almost a rite of passage of parenthood.

    2005, Linda Sonna, Early-Start Potty Training, page viii

    By the way if, as part of your fatherhood journey, you haven't been vomited on, had poo squirted on you, or been christened with pee yet, you're not trying hard enough.

    2010, Stefan Korn, Scott Lancaster, Eric Mooij, Being a Great Dad For Dummies, page 122

    A daddy-long-legs lurched against the white-washed walls while Surefire christened the lime-swilled fresh bucket with a strong stream of urine.

    2012, Glory Keveme, Broken Wings, page 51

Christen2

adjectiveChristen (not comparable)
  1. not comparableobsoleteObsolete form of Christian.

    Mrs. Dashwood had never been so much pleased with any young women in her life, as she was with them; had given each of them a needle-book, made by some emigrant; called Lucy by her christen name; and did not know whether she should ever be able to part with them.

    1811, [Jane Austen], chapter XIV, in Sense and Sensibility […], volume II, London: […] C[harles] Roworth, […], and published by T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, pages 277–278
nounChristen (plural Christens)

plural Christens

  1. obsoleteObsolete form of Christian.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbadminister baptism to

Similar
baptizebaptise
Broader
namecallknow as
Also see
baptize

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

christen · verb

  1. Old Englishcristnian“to christen, baptise”
  2. Middle Englishcristenen
  3. Englishchristen

From Middle English cristenen, cristnien, from Old English cristnian (“to christen, baptise”), from cristen (“Christen, Christian”) + -nian. Cognate with Saterland Frisian kristenje (“to christen”), Dutch kerstenen (“to christen”), Middle Low German kristenen, kerstenen, karstenen (“to christen”), Danish kristne (“to christen”), Swedish kristna (“to christen”), Icelandic kristna (“to christen”). By surface analysis, Christ + -en.

More words from Middle English, Old English

Full word history & related roots →

Christen · adjective, noun

  1. LatinChristiānus
  2. Old Englishcrīsten
  3. Middle EnglishCristen
  4. EnglishChristen

From Middle English Cristen, from Old English crīsten (ca. 890), from Latin Christiānus.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian кръщавам, именувам
  • кръщавам (krăštavam)to perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • именувам (imenuvam)to name
  • кръщавам (krăštavam)to name
Catalan batejar, cristianar
  • batejarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • cristianarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
Czech pokřtít, křtít
  • pokřtítto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • křtítto perform the religious rite of baptism on
Dutch dopen
  • dopento perform the religious rite of baptism on
Esperanto bapti, bapti
  • baptito perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • baptito name
  • nomito name
Finnish kastaa, ristiä
  • kastaato perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • ristiäto name
  • kastaato name
French baptiser, baptiser
  • baptiserto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • baptiserto name
  • nommerto name
German taufen, taufen
  • taufento perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • taufento name
Hungarian keresztel, keresztel
  • keresztelto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • keresztelto name
Italian battezzare, battezzare
  • battezzareto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • battezzareto name
  • inaugurareto name
Polish chrzcić, ochrzcić
  • chrzcićto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • ochrzcićto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • chrzcićto name
  • ochrzcićto name
Portuguese batizar, batizar
  • batizarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • batizarto name
Romanian boteza, boteza
  • botezato perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • botezato name
Russian крести́ть, окрести́ть
  • крести́ть (krestítʹ)to perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • окрести́ть (okrestítʹ)to perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • крести́ть (krestítʹ)to name
  • окрести́ть (okrestítʹ)to name
  • называ́ть (nazyvátʹ)to name
  • назва́ть (nazvátʹ)to name
Scottish Gaelic baist, baist
  • baistto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • baistto name
Slovak pokrstiť, krstiť
  • pokrstiťto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • krstiťto perform the religious rite of baptism on
Spanish acristianar, bautizar
  • acristianarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • bautizarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • cristianarto perform the religious rite of baptism on
Swedish döpa, döpa
  • döpato perform the religious rite of baptism on
  • döpato name

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with christen

listenNisanglistenWhisson
All rhymes →

Anagrams

Strichenchinrestsnitchercentrish
Cite this entry
APA

christen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/christen

MLA

“christen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/christen. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “christen,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/christen.

Source: christen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.