christen

verb

1. (transitive)To perform the religious rite of baptism upon; to baptize.

   “The new baby was christened at the village church.”

   “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.”

2. (broadly, transitive)To name.

   “I christen this ship the Bonny Barnacle.”

   “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.”

3. (obsolete)To Christianize.

   “I must tell you that christianity hath new christened it”

4. (colloquial)To use for the first time.

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

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

5. (informal)To douse or wet with blood, urine, tears, or other liquid.

   “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.”

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

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

   “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.”

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

adj

1. (alt-of, not-comparable, obsolete)Obsolete 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.”

noun

1. (alt-of, obsolete)Obsolete form of Christian.