# vow

Pronunciation: US say "VOW" /vaʊ/; UK

## Noun

1. A solemn promise to perform some act or behave in a specified way, especially one to live by the rules of a religious order.
   - Simple: A serious promise to do something or to behave in a certain way.
   - _He took a vow of silence when he entered the monastery._
   - _The nuns renewed their vows in a quiet ceremony each spring._

## Verb

2. To make a vow; to promise something solemnly.
   - Simple: To make a serious promise.
   - _They vow to love each other for the rest of their lives._
   - _He vowed never to return to the town that had wronged him._
3. To announce openly that one has made a vow, typically to show resolve or to declare that one will retaliate.
   - Simple: To tell people openly that you have made a promise, often to show you are serious or to warn of revenge.
   - _The general vowed revenge after the ambush._
   - _Protesters vow to continue marching until their demands are met._
4. To solemnly promise or swear to something, such as obedience or revenge.
   - Simple: To promise something in a serious way.
   - _He vowed vengeance on the men who had betrayed him._
   - _The knights vow obedience to the ancient laws of the realm._

## Noun

5. A votive offering: a gift presented to a deity in fulfillment of a solemn promise. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A gift left at a holy place as part of a promise to a god.
   - _The pilgrim laid a vow upon the altar before departing on his journey._
   - _The temple walls were hung with vows from grateful sailors._

## Other meanings

- (noun) A spoken or written declaration or assertion.

## Origin

Inherited from Middle English "vowe," from Old French "vut," in turn from Latin "vōtum" ("a promise, dedication, vow"), from "vovēre" ("to promise, vow"). It is a doublet of "vote" and is not related to "avow."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/vow (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).