Vow
nounA solemn and binding promise, often made formally or publicly.
How to spell vow
3 letters · 1 syllable
How to pronounce vow
What does vow mean?
- nounA solemn and binding promise, often made formally or publicly.
- verbTo promise solemnly or pledge to do something.
Vow in a sentence
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noun
The couple wrote their own marriage vow for the ceremony.
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verb
The directors vow to repay every customer within the month.
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noun
She made a quiet vow never to lend money to relatives again.
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verb
After the accident he would vow to drive more carefully.
Where does vow come from?
Language of origin: Latin
This word traces back to the Latin votum, meaning 'a solemn promise, a pledge, or a thing dedicated', which came from the verb vovere, 'to make a solemn promise to a god'. The notion was deeply religious: a votum was something you swore to a deity, often in exchange for protection or favour. The Latin word travelled into Old French as vou or veu, and English borrowed it during the 1200s, narrowing comfortably onto the sense of a serious, binding personal pledge. The very same vovere root sits inside the everyday words 'vote', 'devote', and 'votive', all of which carry that flavour of solemn dedication. The spelling stays mercifully simple, a clean three letters, though writers occasionally pad it with an unnecessary 'e' on the end.
How the word is built
- vow (single root, from Latin votum: a solemn promise or pledge)
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