devote

Formsdevotes, devoting, devoted

1. 1
   verbtransitive

   To give your time, effort, or attention entirely to a particular cause, person, or purpose.

   He chose to devote his entire career to cancer research.

   Researchers devote years to projects that may never succeed.

   Similardedicate, commit, give

   Note

   Behind the everyday verb is a solemn one. Latin dēvoveō meant to dedicate by a vow, which is why devote can still mean "consecrate," and why devout is a close relative. The construction is fixed: you devote something (a life, an afternoon, yourself) to something, and a following verb takes -ing, as in devoted the afternoon to repainting, never to repaint. Asa Gray could even call a branch devoted to climbing.

2. 2
   verbtransitive

   To consign a person or thing over to a destructive fate; to doom.

   The commander's pride devoted his soldiers to a hopeless last stand.

   Legends say the gods devote the arrogant to swift downfall.

   Similardoom, condemn, consign

   Note

   Here the vow runs toward ruin. The Latin source could also mean to sacrifice oneself, and this sense keeps that idea of offering something up: a person or a city is handed over to destruction, to the flames. It takes the same to as the everyday "give one's time" meaning, but what follows is a fate rather than a purpose. A city devoted to the flames is not doing anything. It is being given away.

3. 3
   verbtransitive

   To call down a curse on someone or something, or to denounce them as hateful.

   Similarcurse, damn, denounce

   Oppositebless

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