Oath vs Vow - What's the difference?
oath | vow |
A solemn pledge or promise to a god, king, or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract
* 1924 , Aristotle, Metaphysics , Translated by W. D. Ross. Nashotah, Wisconsin, USA: The Classical Library, 2001. Available at:
The affirmed statement or promise accepted as equivalent to an oath .
A light or insulting use of a solemn pledge or promise to a god, king or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract the name of a deity in a profanity, as in swearing oaths .
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=
, volume=189, issue=1, page=37, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= A curse.
(legal) An affirmation of the truth of a statement.
pledge, vow, avowal
A solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order.
A declaration or assertion.
* {{quote-magazine, date=2013-06-14, author=
, volume=189, issue=1, page=37, magazine=(The Guardian Weekly)
, title= (ambitransitive) To make a vow; to promise.
* Bible, Eccl. v. 4
* Richard Baxter
To make a vow regarding (something).
To declare publicly that one has made a vow, usually to show one's determination or to announce an act of retaliation.
Vow is a synonym of oath.
As nouns the difference between oath and vow
is that oath is a solemn pledge or promise to a god, king, or another person, to attest to the truth of a statement or contract while vow is a solemn promise to perform some act, or behave in a specified manner, especially a promise to live and act in accordance with the rules of a religious order.As verbs the difference between oath and vow
is that oath is to pledge while vow is to make a vow; to promise.oath
English
(wikipedia oath)Noun
(en noun)- for they made Ocean and Tethys the parents of creation, and described the oath of the gods as being by water,
Sam Leith
Where the profound meets the profane, passage=Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths'. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "' oaths " and "swearing" itself.}}
Synonyms
Derived terms
* oathbound * oathbreaker * oathless * under oathExternal links
* (wikipedia "oath")Anagrams
* (l)vow
English
Noun
(en noun)Sam Leith
Where the profound meets the profane, passage=Swearing doesn't just mean what we now understand by "dirty words". It is entwined, in social and linguistic history, with the other sort of swearing: vows and oaths. Consider for a moment the origins of almost any word we have for bad language – "profanity", "curses", "oaths" and "swearing" itself.}}
Usage notes
* One normally makes'' or ''takes'' a vow, or simply ''vows (see below). * Commonly mentioned vows include those of silence'', ''obedience'', ''poverty'', ''chastity'', and ''celibacy . * 'to keep/pay/fulfill a vow' = to honor a vow * 'to break a vow' = to dishonor a vowVerb
(en verb)- When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it.
- We do not vow that we will never sin, nor neglect a duty (nor ought we to do so).
- The wronged woman vowed revenge.
- The rebels vowed to continue their fight.