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definitions

covenant

[kuhv-uh-nuhnt]
noun
  1. an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.
  2. Law. an incidental clause in such an agreement.
  3. Ecclesiastical. a solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel.
  4. (initial capital letter) History/Historical.
    1. National Covenant.
    2. Solemn League and Covenant.
  5. Bible.
    1. the conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed in Scripture.
    2. the agreement between God and the ancient Israelites, in which God promised to protect them if they kept His law and were faithful to Him.
  6. Law.
    1. a formal agreement of legal validity, especially one under seal.
    2. an early English form of action in suits involving sealed contracts.
  7. Covenant of the League of Nations.
verb (used without object)
  1. to enter into a covenant.
verb (used with object)
  1. to promise by covenant; pledge.
  2. to stipulate.

Origin of covenant

1250–1300; Middle English < Anglo-French, Old French, noun use of present participle of covenir < Latin convenīre to come together, agree; see -ant
Related formscov·e·nan·tal [kuhv-uh-nan-tl] /ˌkʌv əˈnæn tl/, adjective

Synonyms for covenant

1. treaty, pact, convention.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for covenanted

compact, convention, stipulation, agreement, transaction, commitment, deal, dicker, bargain, contract, treaty, papers, trust, deed, arrangement, bond, handshake, concordat, engage, concur

Examples from the Web for covenanted

Historical Examples of covenanted

  • It was the work which the Father had p. 194given him, and which he had covenanted to do.

  • But I must not preach sedition to a Covenanted member of the Service!

  • Matthew: “And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver” (xxvi, 15).

    The Christ

    John Eleazer Remsburg

  • He covenanted that he would pay his tithing, and gather with the Saints.

  • The peasants, on their part, covenanted not to appear or look at them.

    The Fairy Mythology

    Thomas Keightley

British Dictionary definitions for covenanted

covenant

noun
  1. a binding agreement; contract
  2. law
    1. an agreement in writing under seal, as to pay a stated annual sum to a charity
    2. a particular clause in such an agreement, esp in a lease
  3. (in early English law) an action in which damages were sought for breach of a sealed agreement
  4. Bible God's promise to the Israelites and their commitment to worship him alone
verb
  1. to agree to a covenant (concerning)
Derived Formscovenantal (ˌkʌvəˈnæntəl), adjectivecovenantally, adverb

Word Origin for covenant

C13: from Old French, from covenir to agree, from Latin convenīre to come together, make an agreement; see convene

Covenant

noun
  1. Scot history any of the bonds entered into by Scottish Presbyterians to defend their religion, esp one in 1638 (National Covenant) and one of 1643 (Solemn League and Covenant)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for covenanted

covenant

n.

c.1300, from Old French covenant "agreement," originally present participle of covenir "agree, meet," from Latin convenire "come together" (see convene). Applied in Scripture to God's arrangements with man as a translation of Latin testamentum, Greek diatheke, both rendering Hebrew berith (though testament also is used for the same word in different places).

covenant

v.

c.1300, from covenant (n.). Related: Covenanted; covenanting. Covenanter (1638) was used especially in reference to Scottish Presbyterians who signed the Solemn League and Covenant (1643) for the defense and furtherance of their cause.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
covenanted in Culture

covenant

Literally, a contract. In the Bible (see also Bible), an agreement between God and his people, in which God makes promises to his people and, usually, requires certain conduct from them. In the Old Testament, God made agreements with Noah, Abraham, and Moses. To Noah, he promised that he would never again destroy the Earth with a flood. He promised Abraham that he would become the ancestor of a great nation, provided Abraham went to the place God showed him and sealed the covenant by circumcision of all the males of the nation. To Moses, God said that the Israelites would reach the Promised Land but must obey the Mosaic law. In the New Testament, God promised salvation (see also salvation) to those who believe in Jesus.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.