English → Latin
“vow” in Latin
vōtumpromise, dedication, vow, solemn pledge; determination, will, desire; prayer, devotionnuncupātiōa naming; an appellation; a naming or appointing as heirreligiōscrupulousness, conscientious exactness; piety, religious scruple, religious awe, superstition, strict religious observasuscipiōto take up, acknowledge; to undertake, assume, begin, incur, enter upon (especially when done voluntarily and as a favorexsolvōto unloose, release, free; to unbind, untie, undo; to renounce, abandon, relinquish, leave behindpersolvōto release or discharge; to pay, pay out or render; to perform, accomplish, fulfill an obligation or taskspondeōto promise, bind or pledge oneself, contract, vow; to guarantee; to promise for another; to become security for a persondēspondeōto promise (to give), pledge, devote to; to promise in marriage, betroth, engage; to put away from oneself, give up, yieprōmittōto send forth; to promisevoveōto vow, promise; to dedicate or devote to a deity; to wish for, desire
The English word vow itself goes back to Latin voveō, through vōtum.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
vow s.
votum (a wish connected with a vow): voti sponsi or nuncupatio (the uttering a vow in due form before witnesses): devotio alicujus rei (a vow to do something, with the idea of a sacrifice; e.g., devotio vitas). Sacred vows, which act as hindrances or impediments, religiones (Caes., B.G., 5, 6, Herz.). To make a vow, votum facere, suscipere (general terms): votum nuncupare (to pronounce before witnesses): to fulfil or perform a vow, votum solvere, exsolvere, persolvere, or reddere: to be bound by a vow, religione voti obstrictum esse; voti sponsione obligatum esse: to consider one’s self bound by a vow, se voto teneri putare: to release anybody from a vow, liberare aliquem voto: to be hindred by (sacred) vows from doing anything, religionibus impediri (quo minus aliquid faciam).
vow v.
Transitively, spondere: despondere (solemnly or judicially): promittere (☞ not polliceri = to promise): vovere: devovere (in a religious sense).
Intransitively. To declare positively, affirmare: confirmare (to assert the certainty of a thing emphatically): asseverare (to maintain a thing earnestly; asserere is bad in this sense), with de, or accusative and infinitive: pro certo affirmare; sancte affirmare; with an oath, jurejurando affirmare or confirmare. He vowed with an oath that he would give, etc., jurejurando confirmavit - daturum, etc.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for vow?
- The usual Latin words for “vow” are vōtum, nuncupātiō, religiō; also suscipiō, exsolvō, persolvō. 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.