adjure
Americanverb (used with object)
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to charge, bind, or command earnestly and solemnly, often under oath or the threat of a penalty.
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to entreat or request earnestly or solemnly.
verb
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to command, often by exacting an oath; charge
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to appeal earnestly to
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of adjure
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Latin word adjūrāre. See ad-, jury 1
Explanation
The verb adjure is a heavy-duty synonym of the word "ask," with more of a demanding tone. For example, you might have to adjure someone to tell the truth. You get a strong sense of the word adjure when you realize that the jure part is similar to "jury." Both come from the Latin jūrāre "swear," which in turn comes from jūs, jūr- "law" (as in justice and jurist). In 14th-century Middle English, the word suggested someone affirming something by swearing with an oath. So adjure means to command solemnly, as in "She adjured him to present the events precisely as he witnessed them."
Vocabulary lists containing adjure
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Oedipus the King
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This is because they not only bestow praise; they also adjure the congratulatee to continue the good work�or else.
From Time Magazine Archive
To "adjure" was to call upon a person to speak the truth in the Name of God.
From "Granny's Chapters" (on scriptural subjects) by Ross, Lady Mary
If you care not for the happiness of one who would risk his life for yours, then do I adjure you, as you care for truth, to speak the truth!
From The White Gauntlet by Reid, Mayne
Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of the Blessed?
From Walks and Words of Jesus A Paragraph Harmony of the Four Evangelists by Olmsted, M. N.
Jeremiah, I adjure you, Leave me not again.
From Jeremiah A Drama in Nine Scenes by Zweig, Stefan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
