dedication

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun The act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated.
• noun A note prefixed to a literary, artistic, or musical composition dedicating it to someone in token of affection or esteem.
• noun A rite or ceremony of dedicating.
• noun Selfless devotion.

from The Century Dictionary.

• noun The act of consecrating to a deity or to a sacred use with appropriate solemnities; a solemn appropriation or setting apart: as, the dedication of a church.
• noun The act of devoting with solemnity or earnestness of feeling to any purpose.
• noun The act of inscribing or addressing a literary or an artistic work to a patron, friend, or public character.
• noun An address prefixed to a literary or musical composition, inscribed to a patron, as a means of recommending the work to his protection and favor, or, as now usually, to a private friend or to a public character, as a mark of affection or respect.
• noun In law, a voluntary surrender or abandonment of property by the owner to public use, as of land, by consenting to the making of a highway upon it, or of an invention, by neglect to patent, it.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun The act of setting apart or consecrating to a divine Being, or to a sacred use, often with religious solemnities; solemn appropriation.
• noun A devoting or setting aside for any particular purpose.
• noun An address to a patron or friend, prefixed to a book, testifying respect, and often recommending the work to his special protection and favor.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun uncountable The act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated.
• noun countable A note addressed to a patron or friend, prefixed to a work of art as a token of respect, esteem, or affection.
• noun countable A ceremony marking an official completion or opening.
• noun law The deliberate or negligent surrender of all rights to property.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• noun the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
• noun complete and wholehearted fidelity
• noun a ceremony in which something (as a building) is dedicated to some goal or purpose
• noun a message that makes a pledge
• noun a short message (as in a book or musical work or on a photograph) dedicating it to someone or something