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devote

[dih-voht]
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verb (used with object), de·vot·ed, de·vot·ing.
  1. to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.: to devote one's time to reading.
  2. to appropriate by or as if by a vow; set apart or dedicate by a solemn or formal act; consecrate: She devoted her life to God.
  3. to commit to evil or destruction; doom.
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Origin of devote

1580–90; < Latin dēvōtus vowed (past participle of dēvovēre), equivalent to dē- de- + vōtus; see vote, vow

Synonyms

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1. assign, apply, consign.

Synonym study

2. Devote, dedicate, consecrate share the sense of assigning or applying someone or something to an activity, function, or end. Devote, though it has some overtones of religious dedication, is the most general of the three terms: He devoted his free time to mastering the computer. Dedicate is more solemn and carries an ethical or moral tone: We are dedicated to the achievement of equality for all. Consecrate, even in nonreligious contexts, clearly implies a powerful and sacred dedication: consecrated to the service of humanity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

givededicateallotapplydonateassignpresentconsignpledgesanctifyapportionconfidevowappropriateblessbestowconsecrateentrustenshrinehallow

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British Dictionary definitions for devote

devote

verb (tr)
  1. to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
  2. obsolete to curse or doom
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Derived Formsdevotement, noun

Word Origin

C16: from Latin dēvōtus devoted, solemnly promised, from dēvovēre to vow; see de-, vow
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 devote

v.

1580s, from Latin devotus, past participle of devovere (see devotion). Second and third meanings in Johnson's Dictionary (1755) are "to addict, to give up to ill" and "to curse, to execrate; to doom to destruction." Related: Devoted; devoting.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper