Dictionary / devote
devote
- verb
- adjective
- from Latin
to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
1 All current definitions
Every sense of “devote” in current use, as recorded by Wiktionary. Older and obsolete senses are kept separately.
verb
- to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
They devoted their lives to following Jesus Christ.
- to consign over; to doom
to devote one to destruction
- to execrate; to curse
adjective
No current senses for this part of speech — see older senses.
Older & obsolete senses (1)
- obsoletedevoted; addicted; devout
Cross-check: WordNet senses (3)
- verbgive entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause — also: give, dedicate, consecrate, commit
- verbdedicate — also: give, pay
- verbset aside or apart for a specific purpose or use
2 History of the word
The etymology, the path the word travelled, and the words built from it.
The word’s journey, newest to oldest:
- English (today)devote
- Latindēvōtus
Borrowed from Latin dēvōtus, past participle of Latin dēvoveō (“dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly”). Doublet of devow; see also devout. Displaced native Middle English ēstful, from Old English ēstful.
Derivatives — words built from “devote”
Related terms
Want to go deeper? See also “devote” on Etymonline ↗
3 Original language
Where “devote” came from before it was English.
4 Original meaning
What the word meant at the oldest point the record reaches.
Wiktionary’s etymology does not give a separate meaning for the earliest form of “devote”, so we don’t state one. The historical dictionary entry below shows how the word was understood in 1913.
Historical meaning — Webster’s 1913
A historical record, labelled as such: some of these senses are dated or have since shifted.
devote v. t. [L. devotus, p. p. of devovere; de + vovere to vow. See Vow, and cf. Devout, Devow.]
- To appropriate by vow; to set apart or dedicate by a solemn act; to consecrate; also, to consign over; to doom; to evil; to devote one to destruction; the city was devoted to the flames.
- To execrate; to curse.
- To give up wholly; to addict; to direct the attention of wholly or compound; to attach; -- often with a reflexive pronoun; as, to devote one's self to science, to one's friends, to piety, etc.
devote a. [L. devotus, p. p.]
- Devoted; addicted; devout.
devote n.
- A devotee.
5 Use it with confidence
Model sentences from the sources, matched to the meaning they show. Read each one aloud, then make your own in the game.
verbMeaning: to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
They devoted their lives to following Jesus Christ.
I devoted this afternoon to repainting my study, and nothing will get in my way.
verbMeaning: to consign over; to doom
to devote one to destruction
The city was devoted to the flames.
verbMeaning: set aside or apart for a specific purpose or use
this land was devoted to mining
Three steps to owning it
- Pick one meaning above and read its model sentence out loud.
- Say who or what the word is about in your own life, then build a sentence around that.
- Check it against the definition: would a careful reader understand exactly that meaning?
6 The mastery game
Play it here, or print it and do it with pen and paper. At the end you will know the meanings, history, origin and original meaning — and you will have used the word yourself.
Say it, then spell it
devote
/dɪˈvəʊt/
Say the word out loud three times, slowly. Notice the stressed syllable. When you are ready, hide it and spell it from memory.
Activate Words · Word-mastery worksheet · Name: ______________________ Date: __________
devote
/dɪˈvəʊt/ · verb, adjective
Step 1 — Say it and write it
Say “devote” out loud three times. Then cover the word and write it three times from memory.
Step 2 — Know every meaning
Read each definition. Then write it again in your own words.
Step 3 — Which meaning is it?
“They devoted their lives to following Jesus Christ.”
Circle the meaning used.
“to devote one to destruction”
Circle the meaning used.
Step 4 — History and origin
Write the word’s journey back in time (each language and form):
Write three words built from “devote” and what each means:
Step 5 — Original meaning
Read the etymology on the page. What does it tell you about the word’s earlier meaning?
How does that original meaning connect to the meanings today?
Step 6 — Use it yourself
☐ I can explain its meanings ☐ I know its history ☐ I know its original language ☐ I know its original meaning ☐ I can use it confidently
Answer key — devote
Which meaning, sentence 1: C. to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
Which meaning, sentence 2: C. to consign over; to doom
Origin: A. Latin (Latin dēvōtus)
Journey: English devote ← Latin dēvōtus
Some derivatives: devotement, devoter, devotion, misdevote, predevote, redevote
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin dēvōtus, past participle of Latin dēvoveō (“dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly”). Doublet of devow; see also devout. Displaced native Middle English ēstful, from Old English ēstful.
Sources: Wiktionary “devote” (https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/devote#English), CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org; Princeton WordNet 3.0; Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913, public domain) via GCIDE. Worksheet from https://activatewords.com/w/devote