devote
[ dih-voht ]
/ dɪˈvoʊt /
verb (used with object), de·vot·ed, de·vot·ing.
to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.: to devote one's time to reading.
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.
to commit to evil or destruction; doom.
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Nearby words
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Origin of devote
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. 2019
Examples from the Web for devote
British Dictionary definitions for devote
devote
/ (dɪˈvəʊt) /
verb (tr)
to apply or dedicate (oneself, time, money, etc) to some pursuit, cause, etc
obsolete to curse or doom
Derived Formsdevotement, noun
Word Origin for devote
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
devote
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.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper