Where does “vow” come from?
Vow comes from Middle English vowe, from Old French vut, from Latin votum, the past participle of vovere, meaning to promise or dedicate, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₁wegʷʰ-.
vow (English): A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave...
Definitions
- A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave...
Ancestry of “vow”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | vowe | — |
| 2 | Old French | vut | wish; dire; want |
| 3 | Latin | vōtum | — |
| 4 | Latin | votus | vowed, promised; devoted to ; having been vowed |
| 5 | Latin | vovere | third-person plural perfect active indicative of... |
| 6 | Latin | voveo | I vow, promise; I dedicate or devote to a deity;... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | wogʷeō | I vow, promise; dedicate or devote to a deity; I... |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₁wegʷʰ- | to promise, to vow; to praise |