Where does “devout” come from?
Devout comes from Middle English devout, from Old French devot, from Latin devotus, the past participle of devovēre meaning to dedicate or consecrate, formed from the prefix de- and vovēre meaning to vow, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European de.
devout (English): Devoted to religion or to religious feelings and...
Definitions
- Devoted to religion or to religious feelings and...
Ancestry of “devout”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | devout | devout; sacred, holy |
| 2 | Old French | devot | devout |
| 3 | Latin | dēvotus | vowed, promised, dedicated, having been vowed, devoted |
| 4 | Latin | devoveo | I vow, offer; promise; devote, dedicate; I mark... |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |