▪ I. devote, a. and n.1 arch.
(dɪˈvəʊt)
[ad. L. dēvōt-us devoted, consecrated or dedicated by vow, pa. pple. of dēvovēre to devote. In Eng. it appears partly as a continuation of ME. devot, -te, variant of devout, OF. devot, devote. As a n. it was generally superseded 1675–1725 by devotee, and when retained later is usually identified with mod.F. dévote fem., and applied only to a female devotee, the corresponding F. dévot masc., being occasionally used of the male.]
A. ppl. a. = devoted. a. with to.
| 1596 Shakes. Tam. Shr. i. i. 32 So deuote to Aristotle's Ethickes [printed checkes]. 1597 Hooker Eccl. Pol. v. (1632) 209 The places where Idols have beene worshipped are..deuote to vtter destruction. 1613 Sherley Trav. Persia 4 The glory of God, to which his excellent religious mind was evermore devote. 1667 Milton P.L. iii. 208 To destruction sacred and devote. 1747 Collins Passions 105 Where is thy native simple heart Devote to Virtue, Fancy, Art? 1839 Bailey Festus (1854) 107, I am devote to study. |
b. without to.
| 1599 Hakluyt Voy. I. 148 We..as your perpetual and deuote friends. 1599 Warn. Faire Wom. ii. 750, I will be to you a husband so devote. 1621 Burton Anat. Mel. iii. i. ii. i. (1651) 417 He is thy slave, thy vassall, most devote, affectioned, and bound in all duty. |
B. adj. = devout.
| [1225–1552: see devout a.] a 1625 Boys Wks. (1630) 124 By meditation and deuote prayer. 1651 Serm. Coron. Chas. II, in Phenix I. 244 Trajan the Emperor was, I. Devote at home. II. Courageous in war. 1839 New Monthly Mag. LV. 550 The deep drawn sigh—the devote interjection. |
C. n. A devotee. † (α) in form devote. Obs.
| 1630 Davenant Just Italian iv. Wks. 1872 I. 252 Two faces more allied In all devotes of view I have not seen. 1660 Blount Boscobel 8 Sectaries, who through a Fanatique zeal were become Devotes to this great Idol. 1662 J. Bargrave Pope Alex. VII. (1867) 71 He is a devote of the house of Austria. 1673 Lady's Call. i. v. §18 Those who from great voluptuaries have turned devotes. 1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to C'tess Mar 18 Apr., The difference between an old devote and a young beauty. 1720 Welton Suffer. Son of God I. x. 255 He who seeks to do his Own Will..has no Claim..to the Peace or Merit of a Devote. |
(β) in mod.F. form dévot, fem. dévote.
| 1702 W. J. Bruyn's Voy. Levant xl. 156, I..saw a great many of those Devots pass along the Streets. 1746 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. to W. Montagu 24 Nov., I know not how to acknowledge enough my obligations to the countess; and I reckon it a great one from her who is a dévote, that she never brought any priest to me. 1779 J. Adams Diary 14 Dec. Wks. 1851 III. 232 Numbers of dévots upon their knees. 1808 Scott Lett. 22 Jan. (1894) I. 92 In her own character as a sort of dévote. 1866 Mrs. H. Wood St. Martin's Eve xxxi. (1874) 395 Maria, poor thing, had no hand in it; she is not a dévote. |
▪ II. † devote, n.2 Obs.
[f. devote v.]
Act of devoting, devotion.
| 1659 R. Eedes Christ's Exalt. Ep. Ded., Some manifestation of a reciprocation in this devote. |
▪ III. devote, v.
(dɪˈvəʊt)
[f. L. dēvōt-, ppl. stem of dēvovēre to vow, dedicate by a vow, devote, f. de- I. 2 + vovēre to vow, dedicate: cf. also the L. frequentative dēvōtāre, in med.L. much used for dēvovēre.]
1. trans. To appropriate by, or as if by, a vow; to set apart or dedicate solemnly or formally; to consecrate (to).
| 1586 A. Day Eng. Secretary i. (1625) 16 Yours devoted till death. 1599 H. Buttes Dyets drie Dinner A iv, Love and friendship..urgeth mee particularly to devote my selfe unto you. 1611 Bible Lev. xxvii. 28 No deuoted thing that a man shall deuote vnto the Lord. 1665 Sir T. Herbert Trav. (1677) 262 A chalice of gold also he devoted. 1732 Law Serious C. iv. (ed. 2) 48 All Christians are by their Baptism devoted to God. 1802 Ld. Eldon in Vesey's Rep. VII. 73 The Will..devoting the property to charity was producible. 1856 Stanley Sinai & Pal. i. (1858) 53 Each of the thirty-six chapels was devoted to the worship of a separate sect. |
2. To give up, addict, apply zealously or exclusively (to a pursuit, occupation, etc., or to a particular purpose); esp. refl. to devote oneself.
| 1604 Shakes. Oth. ii. iii. 321 He hath deuoted, and giuen vp himselfe to the Contemplation..of her parts and Graces. 1703 Rowe Fair Penit. i, Devote this day to mirth. 1798 H. Skrine Two Tours Wales 72 Having devoted some days to the objects in the neighbourhood of Swansea, we left that place. 1868 M. Pattison Academ. Org. 3 Had these endowments..been devoted to national education. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) III. 672 [He] who devotes himself to some intellectual pursuit. 1894 J. T. Fowler Adamnan Introd. 66 Hill sides now devoted to pasturage. |
3. To give over or consign to the powers of evil or to destruction; to doom; to invoke or pronounce a curse upon.
| 1647 Power of Keys vi. 133 The Senate..did devote or Anathematize even a whole Country or Region at once. a 1718 Rowe (J.), Let her..Devote the hour when such a wretch was born. 1776 Gibbon Decl. & F. I. ix. 181 The hostile army was devoted with dire execrations to the gods of war and of thunder. 1821 Lockhart Valerius II. ix. 267 May Jove devote me, if I had [etc.]. 1871 B. Taylor Faust (1875) I. xxiii. 206 A witches' guild. They scatter, devote, and doom! |
† b. To invoke or pronounce (a curse). Obs.
| 1749 Fielding Tom Jones xvi. i, A hearty curse hath been devoted on the head of that author. |
Hence deˈvoting vbl. n.
| 1640 O. Sedgwicke Christ's Counsell 222 What was our baptisme but a devoting..of our selves to be faithfull to Christ? 1677 Gilpin Demonol. (1867) 434 ‘Sons of Belial’, a name very significant, shewing..their devoting of themselves to the devil's service. |