devote
/dɪˈvəʊt/dih-VOHT
/dɪˈvoʊt/dih-VOHT
Meaningto vow
Common meaning: to give wholly to
- dedown, away, off; undoing
- votto promise solemnly to a godLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 2015 · scan
‘down, away, off’ + ‘to promise solemnly to a god’ → devote
Sources & notes
Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
- No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
- US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
- No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.
Origin: Built on Latin voveō ‘to promise solemnly to a god’.
Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry voveō, p. 2015 · dictionary scan
Roots
- voveō, vōtum Latin “to promise solemnly to a god”
Related words
Building blocks are an automatic split · open in app