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• ex voto
  ex voto

  adjective

  from, or in pursuance of, a vow.
• ex-voto
  ex-voto

  noun

  a painting or other object left as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude, as for recovery from an illness or injury.

ex voto

¹ American  

[eks woh-toh, eks voh-toh] / ɛks ˈwoʊ toʊ, ɛks ˈvoʊ toʊ /

adjective

Latin.

1. from, or in pursuance of, a vow.

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ex-voto ² American  

[eks-voh-toh] / ɛksˈvoʊ toʊ /

noun

plural

ex-votos

1. a painting or other object left as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude, as for recovery from an illness or injury.

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ex voto British  

/ ɛks ˈvəʊtəʊ /

adverb

1. in accordance with a vow

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noun

1. an offering made in fulfilment of a vow

Etymology

Origin of ex voto¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Origin of ex-voto²

First recorded in 1815–25; from Latin ex vōtō literally, “out of a vow”; see ex- ¹ ( def. ), vow

Example Sentences

Two additional clumps support each canvas as it leans against the wall like some icon or ex voto, reminding us that painting is a universal, not Western, art form.

From New York Times • Oct. 30, 2014

It is like that picture of my father's shipwreck,—you know, Dino,—the ex voto up there in the chapel.

From Vestigia Vol. II. by Fleming, George

The place was large, whitewashed, and crowded with figures in glass cases and ex voto offerings.

From The Lost Girl by Lawrence, D. H. (David Herbert)

No one knows when this star was hung there, but it is supposed to have been an ex voto of a chevalier, de Blac.

From Castles and Cave Dwellings of Europe by Baring-Gould, S. (Sabine)

The magnificent passages of prose which vest this image make it resemble p. 131the ex voto Madonnas of continental churches—a shrine in literature but not a lighthouse.

From Masques & Phases by Ross, Robert