vow

[ vou ]
/ vaʊ /

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

to make a vow.
to make a solemn or earnest declaration.

Idioms for vow

    take vows, to enter a religious order or house.

Origin of vow

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French vo(u) < Latin vōtum, neuter of vōtus, past participle of vovēre to vow

OTHER WORDS FROM vow

vow·er, noun vow·less, adjective un·vowed, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for vow

British Dictionary definitions for vow

vow
/ (vaʊ) /

noun

a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way
a solemn promise made to a deity or saint, by which the promiser pledges himself to some future act, course of action, or way of life
take vows to enter a religious order and commit oneself to its rule of life by the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, which may be taken for a limited period as simple vows or as a perpetual and still more solemn commitment as solemn vows

verb

Derived forms of vow

vower, noun vowless, adjective

Word Origin for vow

C13: from Old French vou, from Latin vōtum a solemn promise, from vovēre to vow