vow
vow
(vaʊ
) noun
1 a solemn or earnest pledge or promise binding the person making it to perform a specified act or behave in a certain way ■ marriage vows ■ They exchange vows and rings and tears of joy.
2 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
3 See
take vows
▷ verb
4 (transitive; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to pledge, promise, or undertake solemnly ■ he vowed that he would continue ■ he vowed to return
5 (transitive) to dedicate or consecrate to God, a deity, or a saint
6 (transitive; usually takes a clause as object) to assert or swear emphatically
7 (intransitive) archaic to declare solemnly
[C13: from Old French vou, from Latin vōtum a solemn promise, from vovēre to vow]
> ˈvower
noun
> ˈvowless adjective
