Devoted

How to spell devoted

7 letters · 3 syllables

How to pronounce devoted

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does devoted mean?

1. adjectiveShowing loyal and deep affection or commitment to a person, cause, or activity.
2. verbPast tense of devote: gave time, energy, or resources entirely to a particular purpose.

Devoted in a sentence

• adjective

  She is a devoted mother who rarely takes time for herself.

• verb

  She devoted her weekends to studying for the exam.

• adjective

  The charity relies on a small group of devoted volunteers.

• verb

  The company devoted a whole floor to research and development.

Where does devoted come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word traces back to the Latin verb devovere, meaning 'to vow' or 'to dedicate by a solemn promise', formed from the prefix de-, here meaning 'completely', and vovere, meaning 'to vow'. In Roman usage a person could literally devote themselves to the gods, pledging their life to a cause, which is why the word still carries that sense of total, almost sacred commitment. The same vovere root gives English the words 'vow', 'vote', and 'votive', all tied to the idea of a binding promise. The past participle 'devoted' settled into English in the sixteenth century as both a verb form and an adjective describing someone wholly dedicated. Because the root is vot, not vert or vote, the trickiest part for writers is remembering the single -v- and the plain -ote spelling rather than doubling letters.

How the word is built

• de- (down, completely)
• vot (from vovere: to vow)
• -ed (past participle/adjective suffix)