What is the Latin word for oath?

The usual Latin words for “oath” are iūs iūrandum, sacrāmentum, religiō; also agō, periūrium, iūrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

English → Latin

“oath” in Latin

iūs iūranduman oath sacrāmentuma sum of money deposited in pledge by two individuals involved in a suit, the money of the loser in the suit being used religiōscrupulousness, conscientious exactness; piety, religious scruple, religious awe, superstition, strict religious observa agōto act, to behave; to do; to make (something that does not continue to exist after the maker stops)periūriuma false oath; perjury, perfidy, treachery iūrōto confirm formally, to pronounce enforceably, to swear, to vow, to take an oath

Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864

oath

jusjurandum, genitive jurisjurandi, neuter (general term; also especially of the oath of allegiance, and of the military oath. ☞ Juramentum is late): sacramentum (an oath voluntarily taken, a vow, usually the oath of allegiance, the military oath): religio (PROP., sense of duty; hence metonymy, an oath grounded on a sense of duty; Vid: Nep., Dion., 8, 5; Ages., 2, 5): jurisjurandi verba, jusjurandum (form of the oath): a false oath, perjurium: to impose an oath upon anybody, jusjurandum ab aliquo exigere: administer an oath, jusjurandum alicui deferre: to offer to take one’s oath, jusjurandum offerre: to take an oath, jusjurandum dare or jurare; sacramentum or sacramento dicere: to take a false oath, pejerare or perjurare (opposed to jurare verissimum jusjurandum); ex animi sententia jurare: to take a formal oath, verbis conceptis jurare: (falsely), verbis conceptis pejerare (Vid: Cic., Cluent., 48, 134): that has taken an oath, juratus; jurejurando astrictus: to take the oath of allegiance, in verba jurare (alicujus; of private citizens, magistrates, or soldiers): sacramentum dicere apud aliquem, sacramento or sacramentum dicere alicui (of soldiers): to administer the oath of allegiance, aliquem in sua verba jusjurandum adigere: to put one upon oath, jurejurando or jusjurandum or ad jusjurandum aliquem adigere; aliquem sacramento rogare or adigere (of soldiers): to bind by an oath, jurejurando aliquem astringere, obstringere, obligare: to release anybody from an oath, alicui jurisjurandi gratiam facere; jusjurandum remittere (technical term of the post-Augustan, lawyers): to keep or perform an oath, jusjurandum servare, conservare; religionem conservare (Nep., Ages., 2, 5): to break an oath, jusjurandum negligere, rumpere; sacramentum mutare (by going over to another party; Vid: Suet., Galb., 10): to oblige or bind one’s self by an oath, jurejurando se obstringere: to confirm, establish, or ratify anything by an oath, jurejurando affirmare aliquid (e.g., societatem): to affirm, protest upon oath, adjurare: to frame or draw up an oath, i. e., the form of an oath, jusjurandum concipere (Tac., Hist., 4, 44, 1): on oath, juratorius (Cod. Just., 12, 19, 12): to give a promise upon oath, fidem et jusjurandum dare (Vid: Caes., B.G., 1, 3). Adverb, jurejurando; jurejurando interposito: to bind by oath, jurejurando aliquem obstringere: to bind themselves mutually on oath, jurejurando ac fide inter se sancire (Caes., B.G., 1, 30; followed by ne).

Quick answer

What is the Latin word for oath?: The usual Latin words for “oath” are iūs iūrandum, sacrāmentum, religiō; also agō, periūrium, iūrō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.

Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.