▪ I. vow, n.
(vaʊ)
Forms: 3–4 vou (uuou, wou, wov), 5 woue (6 pl. woues), 6 voue; 4– vow (4, 5–6 Sc., wow), 4–7 vowe (4 wowe, 5 vowhe); 4 pl. vouwes, -is, fouwes; 4 voo, 5 voye, Sc. woe.
[a. AF. vu(u, vou, vo, OF. vo, vou, vowe, veu (F. vœu):—L. vōt-um vote n., neut. of vōtus, pa. pple. of vōvēre to promise solemnly, to pledge, dedicate, etc. Cf. avow n.1]
1. A solemn promise made to God, or to any deity or saint, to perform some act, or make some gift or sacrifice, in return for some special favour; more generally, a solemn engagement, undertaking, or resolve, to achieve something or to act in a certain way.
| 1297 R. Glouc. (Rolls) 9823 Vor þoru a vowe of him þe sone bigan þat strif. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2888 He hys owne doghtyr slowe For a foly and a wykked vowe. 13.. E.E. Allit. P. C. 239 Þer was louyng on lofte..on Moyses wyse, With sacrafyse vp-set, & solempne vowes. c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 66 To paie þe pope þe first froytys,..for assoilyngis of wowes, & many feyned iapis. c 1430 Lydg. Min. Poems (Percy Soc.) 136 This was his vowhe, with gret humylite, Lik his entent in ful pleyn language. 1502 Ord. Crysten Men (W. de W. 1506) iv. vii. 187 To haue knowledge of woues, of testamentes, of cases of symony, useryes and other dyffyculties. 1550 Bale Apol. Pref. 12 Such are the rashe vowes of the ydolatrouse and mockynge papystes. 1563 tr. Musculus' Common-pl. 508 In a foule vow, alter thy purpose. Do not that which thou haste vnaduisedly vowed. 1617 Moryson Itin. i. 151 The wals are round about hung with Images of men,..which were offered to our Lady upon vow. 1645 Quarles Sol. Recant. v. 66 Make hast to pay what thy vow'd Promise owes; Destruction dwels in unperformed Vowes. 1697 Dryden Virg. Georg. iv. 775 With Vows and suppliant Pray'rs their Pow'rs appease. 1756–7 tr. Keysler's Trav. (1760) IV. 174 It was designed for St. Joseph, in consequence of a vow made by that emperor in the year 1702, on the happy return of his son Joseph..from Landau. 1822 Wordsw. Eccl. Sonn. iii. xxi. 13 Shame if the consecrated Vow be found An idle form, the Word an empty sound. 1866 R. W. Dale Disc. Spec. Occas. 342 Those vows cannot now be cancelled or recalled. 1869 Lecky Europ. Mor. I. 144 The earliest form in which the duty of veracity is enforced is probably the observance of vows. |
b. In phrases, as to make, to hold, keep, pay (or † yield), or to break, a vow.
| (a) c 1290 St. Fides 51 in S. Eng. Leg. I. 84 For ich habbe to him mi vou i-maked. a 1300 Cursor M. 28286 Ic ha made vous oft vn-right and halden þam efter my might. 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2795 Ȝyf þou madest awhere any vowe To wurschyp God for þy prowe. c 1340 Hampole Pr. Consc. 2942 Þan has þat man grete drede in hert; He mas þan vowes, and cryes on Crist. 1387 Trevisa Higden (Rolls) VI. 81 Kyng Oswy made a vow þat ȝif he hadde þe victorie in þat bataille he wolde offre his douȝter Elfleda to God of hevene. c 1430 Syr Gener. (Roxb.) 1925 To god and you a voye I make, I shal youre seruice neuer forsake. 1473 J. Warkworth Chron. (Camden) 8 He made a woue that the Lorde Willowby schuld lese his hede. 1530 Palsgr. 619/2, I make a vowe to God and to Our Ladye that I shall never slepe one night where I slepe an other, tyll I have sene hym. 1587 Mirr. Mag., Brennus ix, I made a vowe to kill the man that causde me flye. 1602 Shakes. Ham. ii. ii. 70 He..Makes Vow before his Vnkle, neuer more To giue th' assay of Armes against your Maiestie. 1700 Dryden Iliad i. 27 So may the Gods..accord the vows you make, And give you Troy's imperial town to take. 1718 [see (b)]. 1829 Scott Anne of G. i, He proceeded to recount the vow which was made..to our Lady of Einsiedlen. 1867 W. Fleming Moral Philos. ii. ii. ii. 296 We may make a Vow, however, to our fellow-creatures, or even to ourselves. |
| (b) a 1300 Cursor M. 24907 (Edin.), Do vou, Elis, and hald þi vow It sal te turn til mikel pru. a 1340 Hampole Psalter cxv. 8 My wowis i sall ȝelde till lord in sight of all his folke. 1382 Wyclif Job xxii. 27 Thou shalt preȝen hym..and thi vouwis thou shalt ȝelde. 1526 [see 1 c]. 1560 Bible (Genev.) Job xxii. 27 Thou shalt make thy prayer vnto him,..and thou shalt rendre thy vowes. c 1611 Chapman Iliad ii. 248 Nor would [these men] pay Their own vows to thee. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. xiv. 69 Being a thing unjust to pay such Vow. 1697 Dryden æneid ii. 22 They feigned it made For their return, and this the vow they paid. 1718 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess of Mar 10 Mar., She firmly intended to keep the vow she had made. 1819 Wordsw. Misc. Sonn. i. xi. 5 How Shall Fancy pay to thee a grateful vow? 1859 Tennyson Pelleas & Ettarre 549 Have any of our Round Table held their vows? 1876 ― Harold iii. i, He did not mean to keep his vow. |
| (c) a 1300 Cursor M. 10674 Þe biscop..Durst noght hir do hir vou to breke. 1362 Langl. P. Pl. A. Prol. 68 Himself mihte a-soylen hem alle Of Falsnesse and Fastinge and of vouwes I-broken. c 1450 Mirk's Festial 9, I haue avowet chastite. And..for I wold not breke my vow, pryuely yn a nyght, I stale forþe yn pore wede. 1483 Cath. Angl. 404/1 To breke Vowe, deuotare, deuouere. 1534 Elyot Gov. iii. viii. 179 Only I wyl shewe..howe terrible a thynge it was amonge them, to breke theyr othes or vowes [ed. 1531 avowes]. 1596 Edward III, ii. i. 335 To breake a lawfull and religious vowe. a 1641 Spelman Tythes xxvii. Wks. 1727 I. 131 So doubtless have we just Cause to fear the Dint of this Curse in breaking this Vow. 1791 Cowper Iliad i. 78 That we may learn By what crime we have thus incensed Apollo, What broken vow..He charges on us. 1889 Tennyson Ring 401 No pliable idiot I to break my vow. |
c. Const. of (something).
| c 1380 Wyclif Wks. (1880) 170 Many prestis vnwisly taken a wow of chastite. c 1400 Apol. Loll. 38 Bi þe vertu of his degre, he made þe vow of chastite. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 65 To..kepe theyr foure essencial vowes the better, that is, the vowe of chastite, the vowe of obedience, the vowe of wylfull pouerte and the vowe of perpetuall inclusyon. 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 121 The Law of Athens yeelds you vp..To death, or to a vow of single life. 1638 Baker tr. Balzac's Lett. (vol. II) 21 Sir, if I had made a vow of humility, you give me here a fair occasion to be proud for not breaking it. 1671 Milton Samson 319 Against his vow of strictest purity. 1776 Dalrymple Ann. Scotl. I. 109 Having made a vow of perpetual virginity. 1859 Tennyson Vivien 545 They bound to holy vows of chastity! Were I not woman, I could tell a tale. 1874 Green Short Hist. iii. §6. (1882) 144 The vow of Poverty was turned into a stern reality. |
† d. to take in vow, to make a vow. Obs.—1
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 57 Ye & take it in vowe that thy delectacyon sholde be onely in the passyon & paynes of Jesu Chryst. |
2. Eccl. A solemn engagement to devote oneself to a religious life of a definite nature, such as that of a monastic or conventual order. Freq. in pl.; to take the vows, to enter a religious order.
| c 1400 Apol. Loll. 101 Þerfor iuge religiouse men in þer consciens, if þei ground hem þus in her vowis. 1560 J. Daus tr. Sleidane's Comm. 59 Men must be warned that they suffre not them selves to be bounden to Monkish vowes. a 1578 Lindesay (Pitscottie) Chron. Scot. (S.T.S.) II. 71 Thow fals heretick hast taught plainlie aganes the wowis of monkes freiris nunes and preistis. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. iv. ii. 180 By the vow of mine Order, I warrant you, If my instructions may be your guide. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. iv. xlvi. 376 Monks, and Friers, that are bound by Vow to that simple obedience to their Superiour, to which every Subject ought to think himself bound. 1721 Strype Eccl. Mem. I. xliv. 339 A late proclamation of the king that disallowed of the marriage of priests, and concerning the vows of religious persons, gave them disgust. 1753 Challoner Cath. Chr. Instr. 171 Those who have chosen the better Part, and consecrated themselves by Vow to God. 1814 Scott Ld. of Isles vi. iii, There Bruce's slow assent allows Fair Isabel the veil and vows. 1845 S. Austin Ranke's Hist. Ref. I. 463 On his friends earnestly pressing him to take the vows, he ran away. 1849 James Woodman v, [One] who is very dangerous to all ladies not under vows. |
3. A solemn promise of fidelity or faithful attachment. Also const. of (faith, love, etc.).
| 1590 Shakes. Mids. N. i. i. 175 By all the vowes that euer men haue broke, (In number more then euer women spoke). 1596 ― Merch. V. v. i. 18 In such a night Did young Lorenzo sweare he lou'd her well, Stealing her soule with many vowes of faith. 1601 ― Jul. C. ii. i. 73 By all your vowes of Loue, and that great Vow Which did incorporate and make vs one. a 1762 Lady M. W. Montagu Poems, Epil. to Mary Q. of Scots 18 Men mock the idol of their former vow. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian xii, Let me lead you to the first Altar that will confirm our vows. 1813 Shelley Q. Mab vi. 210 The fair oak, whose leafy dome affords A temple where the vows of happy love Are registered. 1829 Lytton Disowned xxvii, They stood beside the altar, and their vows were exchanged. 1833 Tennyson Miller's Dau. 119 O would she give me vow for vow, Sweet Alice, if I told her all? |
4. An earnest wish or desire; a prayer, a supplication. (So F. vœu, L. vōtum.)
Not always clearly distinct from sense 1.
| 1563 tr. Musculus' Common-pl. 499 A vowe is oftentymes taken for a desyre, and prayer. So whan those thynges whyche we haue desyred, do fall oute accordinge vnto oure mynde, wee saye we haue oure wishe or vowe. a 1599 Spenser F.Q. vii. vi. 22 His brow (His black eye-brow, whose doomefull dreaded beck Is wont to wield the world vnto his vow). 1600 O. E. (M. Sutcliffe) Repl. Libel i. v. 125 They haue nothing more in their vowes, then her Maiesties ruine. 1697 Dryden æneid iii. 518 When..priests with holy vows the gods adore. 1742 Hume Ess., Stoic i. xvi. (1777) I. 159 Even their own vows, though granted, cannot give them happiness. 1747 Hoadly Suspicious Husband Ded., To send up my warmest Vows..that your Majesty may long enjoy the fruits of [etc.]. 1794 Burke Corr. (1844) IV. 252 You have my most ardent vows for an auspicious beginning. 1820 Shelley Œd. Tyr. i. 16 Thou to whom Kings and laurelled Emperors..Offer their secret vows! 1850 Tennyson In Mem. lxxix, At one dear knee we proffer'd vows, One lesson from one book we learn'd. |
5. A solemn affirmation or asseveration.
| 1593 Shakes. 2 Hen. VI, iii. ii. 159 A dreadfull Oath, sworne with a solemn tongue: What instance giues Lord Warwicke for his vow. 1611 ― Wint. T. i. ii. 47 Her. Nay, but you will? Pol. I may not verely. Her. Verely? You put me off with limber Vowes. 1862 R. S. Hawker in C. E. Byles Life & Lett. xvii. (1905) 386 Every Methodist Preacher or Hearer must attest by Vow and Signature his assent to a Paragraph in Wesley's xith Sermon on the Witness of the Spirit. |
† 6. A votive offering. Obs. rare.
| 1382 Wyclif Deut. xii. 6 (early MSS.), Ȝee shul come & offre in þat place brent sacrifises,..& vouwis & ȝiftes. 1535 Coverdale Ibid. 1611 Bible 1 Esdras viii. 58 The vessels are holy, and the golde, and the siluer is a vowe vnto the Lord. 1686 Burnet Lett. (1708) 126 The little Vows, that hang without the holy Chapel. a 1700 Evelyn Diary 21 May 1645, There is belonging to this Church a world of plate,..and lamps innumerable, besides the costly vowes hung up, some of gold. |
7. Comb., as vow-maker, vow-making, vow-pledged, vow-sanctifier, vow-sighing; † vow-fellow, one who is bound by the same vow. Also vow-breaker, etc.
| 1588 Shakes. L.L.L. ii. i. 38 Who are the Votaries, my louing Lords, that are vow-fellowes with this vertuous Duke? 1598 Florio, Votario, a votarie, a vower, a promiser, a vow-maker. 1668 Clarendon Ess. Tracts (1727) 177 That these vow-makers should be thought so necessary, when every one of their three vows is directly against the health..of the kingdom. 1681 Dryden Span. Friar ii. iii, Love you know, father, is a great vow-maker, but he's a greater vow-breaker. 1743 Francis tr. Hor., Odes iii. x. 14 Neither presents, nor vow-sighing strain. 1805 Wordsw. Waggoner iii. 44 What tears of rapture, what vow-making! 1817 Lady Morgan France i. (1818) I. 97 The days of the vow-making Louis XIII. 1832 Motherwell Poet. Wks. (1847) 48 So the Vow-pledged One loved another. |
▪ II. vow, v.1
(vaʊ)
Forms: 4–6 vowe (4 vouw-, 5 vowyn), 4– vow (5–6 Sc. wow); 4 vou, wou, 5–7 Sc. wou-.
[ad. OF. vouer, vower (F. vouer), f. vou vow n.]
1. trans. To promise or undertake solemnly, spec. by a vow to a deity or saint; to swear: a. With subordinate clause (or equivalent).
The subject of the subordinate clause may be different from that of the verb itself.
| a 1300 Cursor M. 10603 Þai yald hir to þe temple þan, Als þai voud had be-forn þat sco was of hir moder born. 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 182, I vowe to Saynt Michael..Þat for wo ne wele hiþen ne salle I fare..tille þe castelle be taken. 1390 Gower Conf. I. 144 That veine gloire I schal eschuie, And bowe unto thin heste and suie Humilite, and that I vowe. c 1470 Henry Wallace viii. 47, I wow to God,..he sall nocht be In to this realme, bot ane off ws sall de. 1535 Stewart Cron. Scot. II. 418 Gif tha wald nocht, he vowit tha sould haif Siclike reward as he gaif all the laif. c 1570 Satir. Poems Reform. xiv. 88, I wow to the..Thay sall not mys ane riche rewaird. 1596 Shakes. Merch. V. iv i. 442 She made me vow That I should neither sell, nor giue, nor lose it. 1785 Burns Ep. to J. Lapraik 21 Apr. vi, Quoth I, ‘Before I sleep a wink, I vow I'll close it’. 1838 Arnold Hist. Rome vii. I. 118 Aulus..vowed that he would raise a temple to Castor and to Pollux,..if they would aid him to win the battle. 1859 Tennyson Enid 787, I vow'd that could I gain her, our fair Queen..should make your Enid burst Sunlike from cloud. |
b. With infinitive.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2804 Ȝyf þou vowe to do foly..God wyl nat þou hold yt so Þat þou þy vowe yn wykkednes do. 14.. Langland's P. Pl. B. v. 388 (Oriel MS.), Þanne gan gloton grete, and greet deel made.., And vowede to faste. 1500–20 Dunbar Poems lxii. 19 To that conditioun..That ȝe had vowit to the Swan, Ane ȝeir to be Johne Thomsounis man. 1596 Dalrymple tr. Leslie's Hist. Scot. II. 13 To God he had vowit, with ane armie to jnvade the Saracenis gif he had lyfe. 1609 Dekker Gull's Horn-bk. Proem. 2, I defie your perfumd scorne: and vow to poyson your Muske cats, if their ciuet excrement doe but once play with my nose. 1641 in 10th Rep. Hist. MSS. Comm. App. I. 78 Quhilk dyett [of parliament] the Kinge hes woued to keepe except siknesse or deathe previne it. 1653 Jer. Taylor Serm. for Year i. xiv. 189 He that vows never to have an ill thought, never to commit an error, hath taken a course [etc.]. a 1768 Secker Lect. xx. (1769) I. 328 Vowing to do what there is no Use in doing, is trifling with our Creator. 1797 Mrs. Radcliffe Italian iii, He secretly vowed to defend her fame and protect her peace at the sacrifice of every other consideration. 1849 James Woodman ii, I do not recollect having vowed not to tell any secular persons. 1891 Farrar Darkn. & Dawn xli, Some Greek..named Hippolytus, who had vowed to live a virgin life for Diana. |
c. With direct object.
| 1303 R. Brunne Handl. Synne 2825 Eueyl he vowed, and swore hys oath, Þer-for with hym ys now god wroth. a 1500 Ratis Raving, etc. 575 He..bydis man kep weill gif he ocht wowis. 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 1 Lyfe..is as a pilgrymage, whiche we vowe and promesse in our baptym. 1599 Weever Epigr. iv. xxii. E vj, Their sugred tongues..Say they are Saints..For thousands vowes to them subjectiue dutie. 1611 Speed Hist. Gt. Brit. vii. ii. 285/1 Such as hauing vowed their voiage and seruice for Ierusalem, wore..vpon their backes a red Crosse. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. xiv. 69 They that Vow any thing contrary to any law of Nature, Vow in vain. 1737 Gentl. Mag. VII. 325/1 With solemn Curses and Imprecations upon themselves and Posterities, who should detract any of the Tythes so vowed and granted. 1753 Challoner Cath. Chr. Instr. 174 He speaks not of such as have vowed Chastity, but of other Christians. 1791 Cowper Iliad xxiii. 247 Then, Peleus' son..two Winds in prayer..invoked.., to each Vowing large sacrifice. 1819 Scott Noble Moringer ii, 'Tis I have vow'd a pilgrimage unto a distant shrine. 1828 Lytton Pelham II. xx, I fancied a perfection in her, and vowed an emulation in myself, which it was reserved for Time to ratify or deride. 1848 W. K. Kelly tr. L. Blanc's Hist. Ten Y. II. 483 The whole French soul vowed from that moment the capture of Constantina. |
d. With cognate object.
| a 1340 Hampole Psalter cxxxi. 2 Vow he vowed til god of iacob. 1382 Wyclif Judges xi. 30 Passynge to the sones of Amon, he vowede a vowe to the Lorde. 1535 Coverdale Num. vi. 2 To vowe a vowe of abstinence vnto the Lorde. 1601 Shakes. All's Well iv. ii. 22 'Tis not the many oathes that makes the truth But the plaine single vow, that is vow'd true. a 1616 Beaum. & Fl. Wit Without Money iv. iv, Vow me no vowes, he that dares do this, has bred himself to boldness, to forswear too. a 1711 Ken Div. Love Wks. (1838) 274 Whenever I voluntarily vow a vow to thee, give me grace to vow with all the due caution I can. 1808 Scott Marm. v. xxvii, For weal of those they love, To pray the prayer, and vow the vow. 1829 ― Anne of G. x, Overwhelming the priests with the wealth which they showered upon them, and, finally, vowing vows, and making pilgrimages. 1867 Tennyson Holy Grail 584 Yet we twain Had never kiss'd a kiss, or vow'd a vow. |
2. To dedicate, consecrate, or devote to some person or service. (Cf. avow v.2 2.)
| 1526 Pilgr. Perf. (W. de W. 1531) 98 b, [They] hath vowed all theyr lyues to god and to his holy seruyce. 1582 Stanyhurst æneis ii. (Arb.) 66 A tumb to Troytoune and mouldy tempil aneereth Vowed to the godly Ceres. 1596 Danett tr. Comines (1614) 204 He tooke vpon him his voiage to S. Claude, to whom as you haue heard he was vowed. 1613 R. Harcourt Voy. to Guiana 47 Captaine Haruey,..who hath nobly vowed his time and fortune to bee imployed in the prosecution of this honourable action. 1697 Dryden æneid viii. 796 The first inhabitants, of Grecian blood, That sacred forest to Silvanus vowed. 1725 Pope Odyss. xi. 25 The victims, vow'd to each Tartarean pow'r, Eurylochus and Perimedes bore. 1813 Scott Rokeby iv. xiv, Connanmore, who vowed his race, For ever to the fight and chase. 1843 Wordsw. Inscr. Mon. Crosthwaite Ch. 16 He to heaven was vowed Through his industrious life. 1896 A. Austin Eng. Darling i. i, Virgins vowed to Heaven, Virgins as white as is the Yule-tide snow. |
| transf. 1579 E. K. in Spenser's Sheph. Cal. June, Argt., This æglogue is wholly vowed to the complayning of Colins ill successe in his loue. |
b. refl. Also const. into.
| c 1500 Melusine 292 Vryan & Guyon entred in to the see, & vowed themself to Jherusalem. 1581 G. Pettie tr. Guazzo's Civ. Conv. (1586) i. 8 b, Manie,..from their statelie pallaces, haue vowed themselues to beggerlie Monasteries. 1592 in J. Morris Troub. Cath. Forefathers (1877) 38 Mr. Edward James..having vowed himself into the Society [sc. the Jesuits]. 1602 W. Fulbecke 1st Pt. Parall. 95 They have denied Christ and vowed themselues to the diuell. 1623 Cockeram iii, Decii, three Roman Captaines,..who vowed themselues for their countrie. 1630 R. Johnson's Kingd. & Commw. 476 Some will lay 20, thirty or forty rubbles into the Caback, vowing themselves to the pot, till the stock be spent. 1826 Scott Talism. ix, My safety, my lord,..I cast behind me as a regardless thing when I vowed myself to this enterprise. |
† c. To dedicate by a ceremony. Obs.—1
| 1600 Holland Livy, etc. 1355 The temple..was called Capitolinum; and Tarquinius Priscus vowed it. |
3. To make a solemn resolve or threat to inflict (injury), exact (vengeance), harbour (hatred), etc.
| 1592 Kyd Sp. Trag. iv. i. 31 May it be that Bel-imperial Vowes such reuenge as she hath daind to say? a 1593 Marlowe & Nashe Dido v. ii, Tell him, I never vow'd at Aulis' Gulf The desolation of his native Troy. 1606 Shakes. Tr. & Cr. v. v. 31 Great Achilles Is arming, weeping, cursing, vowing vengeance. 1625 in Foster Eng. Factories India (1909) III. 105 Thay both then voued reveng if I cam in their power. 1726 Swift Gulliver i. v, The Empress..could not forbear vowing revenge. 1839 tr. Lamartine's Trav. East 49/1 In spite of the profound hatred which I had vowed to the pacha, I could not embrace the cause of the French. 1912 A. McCormick Words fr. Wild-Wood ii. 43 In vain did he protest and vow vengeance upon his rebellious subjects. |
4. intr. To make a vow or solemn undertaking; to bind oneself by a vow.
| a 1325 Prose Psalter lxxv[i]. 11 Voweþ and ȝeldeþ to þe Lord, your God, ȝe alle þat bringe ȝiftes in his cumpas. 1382 Wyclif Prov. xx. 25 Falling is of men ofte to vouwe to seintis, and aftir the vouwis aȝeen drawe. 1560 Bible Eccl. v. 4 It is better that thou shuldest not vowe, then that thou shuldest vowe and not paye it. 1603 Shakes. Meas. for M. i. iv. 10 You are yet vnsworne: When you haue vowd, you must not speake with men, But in the presence of the Prioresse. 1651 Hobbes Leviath. i. xiv. 69 They that Vow any thing contrary to any law of Nature, Vow in vain. 1675 Owen Indwelling Sin xvii. (1732) 237 Knowing no other way to mortifie Sin, but this of vowing against it. c 1710 in Lady M. W. Montagu's Lett. (1887) II. 3, I had better not vow, for I shall certainly love you, do what you will. 1782 J. Brown View Nat. & Rev. Religion vi. iii. 608 They were capable to vow for themselves. 1812 Crabbe Tales vi. 250 She answer'd,..‘I have not vow'd against the holy state’. 1867 Tennyson Holy Grail 270 Because the hall was all in tumult—some Vowing, and some protesting. |
▪ III. vow, v.2
Also 4 vouwe, 4, 6 vowe, 6 Sc. wow.
[Aphetic f. avow v.1 In sense 2 sometimes not clearly distinguishable from vow v.1]
† 1. trans. To acknowledge, admit. Obs.
| 1338 R. Brunne Chron. (1810) 180 ‘If þou to non þat lyues,’ said R. ‘Þou [read Þi] cheue ne bowe, Þi lond men salle gife tille one þat may it vowe’. c 1560 A. Scott Poems vi. 38, I dar not preiss hir to present it, Ffor be scho wreth I will not wow it. |
2. To affirm or assert solemnly; to asseverate, to declare. (Cf. avow v.1 4.)
| c 1330 Amis & Amil. 858 Than dede the douke com forth that may, And the steward withstode alway, And vouwed the dede tho. 1590 in J. Campbell Balmerino (1867) 176 Thou nor nane that appertenis to the dar stand up and vow that in my face. 1601 Ld. Mountjoy Let. in Moryson Itin. (1617) ii. 123 If you haue any authority from the Queene to countermand mine,..it is more then you haue vowed to me to haue. 1642 Fuller Holy & Prof. St. iii. x. 175 Yet the same party vowed to God, that he knew not that he could do it. a 1656 Bp. Hall Rem. Wks. (1660) 47 These people vow they will watch you. 1833 H. Martineau Briery Creek ii. 41 My wife vowed that a handsome looking-glass was a necessary of life to her. 1848 Thackeray Van. Fair xxix, She vowed that it was a delightful ball. 1865 Kingsley Herew. xv, The knights of the neighbourhood..had all vowed him the most gallant of warriors. |
| refl. 1592 Soliman & Pers. i. iv, Giue me thy hand, I vowe myselfe thy friend. |
| absol. 1825 T. Hook Sayings Ser. ii. Sutherl. (Colburn) 50 Grace protested that it [the performance] was perfection, Mrs. Chatterton exclaimed, and the Colonel vowed. |
b. I vow, used to strengthen an assertion.
In later use chiefly U.S., also in the minced forms van, vowne, and vum.
| 1590 Spenser F.Q. ii. iv. 18 Our selues in league of vowed loue we knit:..And for my part I vow, dissembled not a whit. 1591 Shakes. Two Gent. iv. iv. 208 Else by Iove, I vow, I should haue scratch'd out your vnseeing eyes. 1675 N. Lee Nero Prol., A bloody fatal Play you'l see to night, I vow to Gad, 'thas put me in a fright. 1687 T. Brown Saints in Uproar Wks. 1730 I. 80 You'd break a man's sides with laughing, I vow and swear. 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xvii. ii, I vow I am afraid. 1773 Goldsm. Stoops to Conq. iii, I vow, child, you are vastly handsome. 1790 R. Tyler Contrast ii. ii. (1887) 39, I vow I was glad to take to my heels and split home. 1849 Lowell Biglow P. Ser. i. viii. 57, I vow my holl sheer o' the spiles would n't come nigh a V spot. 1865 Dickens Mut. Fr. i. vi, I vow and declare I am half ashamed of myself for taking such an interest in you. 1875 Tennyson Q. Mary iii. v. 93 Robin came behind me, Kiss'd me well, I vow. |
c. To make solemn assertion of (a feeling or quality).
| 1742 Gray Adversity 24 To her again they vow their truth, and are again believed. 1816 J. Wilson City of Plague iii. i. 187 The children of despair and poverty..Do passionately vow their gratitude. |
▪ IV. vow, int. Sc.
(vaʊ)
[Prob. ellipt. for I vow: cf. vow v.2 2 b.]
An exclamation used to emphasize a statement. (See also wow int.)
| 1787 Burns What will I do 4 My only beast, I had nae mae, And vow but I was vogie! 1814 W. Nicholson Poems, Annandale Robin iii, Hech me! but its lang since I saw you, And vow! ye're grown gaudy and grand. a 1870 D. Thomson Musings (1881) 117 When I saw that ye were weel, Vow, man, but I was gled. |