vow

English

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English vowe, voue, that from Old French vut, in turn from Latin vōtum (“a promise, dedication, vow”), from vovēre (“to promise, vow”). Not related to avow. Doublet of vote.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaʊ/
• Rhymes: -aʊ

  • Audio (Southern England):

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  • Audio (US):

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Noun

vow (plural vows)

1. A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order.

   The old hermit, up in the mountains, took a vow of silence.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 30:1–2:

     And Moses spake vnto the heads of the tribes, concerning the children of Israel, saying, This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded.
     If a man vowe a vow vnto the Lord, or sweare an othe to bind his soule with a bond: he shall not breake his word, hee shall doe according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth.

2. A declaration or assertion.
   • 2013 June 14, Sam Leith, “Where the profound meets the profane”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 1, page 37:

     Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.

3. (obsolete) A votive offering.
   • 1786, Richard Payne Knight, The Worship of Priapus:

     There are also waxen vows, that represent other parts of the body mixed with them; but of these there are few in comparison of the number of the Priapi.

Derived terms

• break-vow
• solemn vow

 

Collocations

Collocations

• One normally makes or takes a vow, or simply vows (see below).
• Commonly mentioned vows include those of silence, obedience, poverty, chastity, and celibacy.
• 'to keep/pay/fulfill a vow' = to honor a vow
• 'to break a vow' = to dishonor a vow

Translations

a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner

• Arabic: نَذْر m (naḏr)

  Egyptian Arabic: ندر m (nadr)

• Armenian: ուխտ (hy) (uxt), երդում (hy) (erdum)
• Asturian: votu m
• Belarusian: кля́тва f (kljátva), кляцьба́ f (kljacʹbá), прыся́га f (prysjáha), заро́к m (zarók)
• Bulgarian: кле́тва (bg) f (klétva), обет (bg) m (obet)
• Catalan: vot (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 愿 (goān)

  Mandarin: 誓言 (zh) (shìyán), 誓約／誓约 (zh) (shìyuē)

• Czech: slib (cs) m, přísaha (cs) f
• Danish: løfte (da) n
• Dutch: gelofte (nl) f
• Esperanto: voto (eo), ĵuro (eo)
• Estonian: lubadus
• Finnish: vala (fi), lupaus (fi)
• French: voeu (fr) m, vœu (fr) m
• Galician: voto (gl) m
• Georgian: ფიცი (pici), აღთქმა (aɣtkma)
• German: Gelübde (de) n, Schwur (de) m, Eid (de) m, Gelöbnis (de) n
• Greek: όρκος (el) m (órkos)

  Ancient: ὅρκος m (hórkos)

• Hebrew: נֶדֶר (he) m (néder)
• Hindi: व्रत (hi) m (vrat), प्रतिज्ञा (hi) (pratijñā), मन्नत (hi) (mannat)
• Hungarian: fogadalom (hu)
• Ido: vovo (io)
• Italian: voto (it) m
• Japanese: 誓い (ja) (ちかい, chikai), 誓約 (ja) (せいやく, seiyaku)
• Kazakh: серт (sert)
• Korean: 맹세(盟誓) (ko) (maengse), 서약(誓約) (ko) (seoyak)
• Latin: vōtum n
• Latvian: apsolījums m
• Lithuanian: įžadas m
• Macedonian: заклетва f (zakletva)
• Ngazidja Comorian: nadhiri class 9/10
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: løfte (no) n

• Old English: behāt n
• Ottoman Turkish: آند (and), سوگند (sevgend)
• Polish: ślub (pl) m, przysięga (pl) f
• Portuguese: bodo (pt) m, voto (pt) m
• Romanian: jurământ (ro)
• Russian: кля́тва (ru) f (kljátva), прися́га (ru) f (prisjága), обе́т (ru) m (obét), заро́к (ru) m (zarók)
• Sanskrit: व्रत (sa) n (vratá)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: заклетва f, присега f

  Roman: zakletva (sh), prisega (sh) f

• Slovak: prísaha f, sľub m
• Slovene: prisega (sl) f
• Spanish: voto (es) m, manda (es) f, promesa (es) f
• Swahili: nadhiri class 9/10
• Swedish: löfte (sv) n
• Tocharian B: wrat
• Turkish: yemin (tr)
• Ugaritic: 𐎐𐎄𐎗 (ndr)
• Ukrainian: кля́тва f (kljátva), клятьба́ f (kljatʹbá), прися́га f (prysjáha), обі́т m (obít)
• Vietnamese: lời thề, lời nguyền

a declaration or assertion

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 保證／保证 (zh) (bǎozhèng)

• Dutch: eed (nl) m
• Finnish: lupaus (fi), vakuutus (fi)
• Georgian: განცხადება (gancxadeba)
• German: Eid (de) m
• Greek: διαβεβαίωση (el) f (diavevaíosi)
• Italian: voto (it) m
• Russian: обяза́тельство (ru) n (objazátelʹstvo), завере́ние (ru) n (zaverénije)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Mongolian: ^{(please verify)} андгар (mn) (andgar)
• Yakut: ^{(please verify)} андаҕар (andağar)

Verb

vow (third-person singular simple present vows, present participle vowing, simple past and past participle vowed)

1. (transitive, intransitive) To make a vow; to promise.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ecclesiastes 5:4:

     When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it.

   • 1673, Richard Baxter, Christian Directory:

     We do not vow that we will never sin, nor neglect a duty (nor ought we to do so).

2. (transitive) To make a vow regarding (something).

   The wronged woman vowed revenge.

3. To declare publicly that one has made a vow, usually to show one's determination or to announce an act of retaliation.

   The rebels vowed to continue their fight.

Derived terms

• exchange vows
• marriage vow
• take vows
• vow of celibacy
• wedding vow

 

Translations

to make a vow

• Arabic: نَذَرَ (naḏara)
• Belarusian: кля́сціся impf (kljáscisja), клясці́ся impf (kljascísja)
• Bulgarian: кълна́ се (bg) impf (kǎlná se), закле́вам се impf (zaklévam se), закълна́ се pf (zakǎlná se)
• Catalan: jurar (ca), prometre solemnement
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 下愿 (hē-goān), 发愿 (hoat-goān)

  Mandarin: 發誓／发誓 (zh) (fāshì)

• Czech: přísahat impf
• Danish: love (da), sværge
• Dutch: gelofte afleggen, zweren (nl)
• Erzya: варамс (varams)
• Esperanto: ĵuri (eo)
• Estonian: lubama
• Finnish: vannoa vala, vannoa (fi), luvata (fi), vakuuttaa (fi)
• French: jurer (fr)
• Georgian: აღთქმა (aɣtkma), დაფიცება (dapiceba), ფიცის დადება (picis dadeba), დაპირება (daṗireba)
• German: schwören (de), geloben (de)
• Greek:

  Ancient: ὄμνυμι (ómnumi)

• Hindi: वचन (hi) m (vacan), प्रण (hi) m (praṇ), प्रतिज्ञा (hi) f (pratijñā)
• Hungarian: megfogad (hu), megesküszik (hu), (in a phrase after an indefinite noun) fogad (hu), esküszik (hu)
• Icelandic: strengja heit
• Ido: vovar (io)
• Italian: giurare (it), votare (it)
• Japanese: 誓う (ja) (ちかう, chikau), 契る (ja) (ちぎる, chigiru)
• Korean: 맹세하다 (ko) (maengsehada)
• Latin: vōveō, iurō (la)
• Latvian: apsolīt
• Lithuanian: pažadėti
• Macedonian: колне impf (kolne), заколне pf (zakolne)
• Middle Korean: 벼기다 (pyekita)
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: love (no), sverge

  Nynorsk: lova, sverja, sverje

• Piedmontese: voidé
• Russian: кля́сться (ru) impf (kljástʹsja), покля́сться (ru) pf (pokljástʹsja), присяга́ть (ru) impf (prisjagátʹ), присягну́ть (ru) pf (prisjagnútʹ), дава́ть обе́т (davátʹ obét), обеща́ть (ru) impf (obeščátʹ), пообеща́ть (ru) pf (poobeščátʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: кле̑ти се impf

  Roman: klȇti se (sh) impf

• Slovak: prisahať impf
• Slovene: prisegati impf, priseči (sl) pf
• Spanish: prometer (es), jurar (es)
• Swedish: svära (sv), lova (sv)
• Turkish: ant içmek (tr), yemin etmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: кля́стися impf (kljástysja), клясти́ся impf (kljastýsja)

to declare publicly that one made a vow

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 宣誓 (zh) (xuānshì)

• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: vannoa (fi)
• Georgian: დაფიცება (dapiceba), დაპირება (daṗireba)
• Hungarian: megfogad (hu)
• Icelandic: strengja heit
• Russian: кля́сться (ru) impf (kljástʹsja), покля́сться (ru) pf (pokljástʹsja), обеща́ть (ru) impf (obeščátʹ), пообеща́ть (ru) pf (poobeščátʹ)

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to the noun or verb vow

• devote
• vote
• votive

Further reading

• “vow”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “vow”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “vow”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

Anagrams

• WOV, WVO

Scots

Etymology

Probably originally imitative. Compare wow.

Interjection

vow

1. exclamation of astonishment, pleasure, or admiration
   • 1790, Robert Burns, Tam O’ Shanter‎^[1], published 1815:

     She ventur’d forward on the light:
     And, vow! Tam saw an unco sight!

     She ventured forward into the light: And hey! Tam saw a strange sight!