Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

devote

/dɪˈvoʊt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.53 in modern English

Syllables
de-vote
IPA
/dɪˈvoʊt/
10
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.

verb

to consign over; to doom

verb

to execrate; to curse

adj

devoted; addicted; devout

Obsolete

Example Sentences

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin dēvōtus, past participle of Latin dēvoveō (“dedicate by a vow, sacrifice oneself, promise solemnly”). Doublet of devow; see also devout. Displaced native Middle English ēstful, from Old English ēstful.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *h₁wegʷʰ-, dēvoveō

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /dɪˈvoʊt/
  • British English: /dɪˈvəʊt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

devotes (present, singular) devoting (participle, present) devoted (participle, past) devoted (past) more devote (comparative) most devote (superlative)

Derived Forms

devotement devoter devotion misdevote predevote redevote

Frequently Paired Words

devotee

Synonyms

give pay dedicate consecrate commit

Rhymes With

vote wrote note boat promote quote remote coat throat goat float afloat

Questions

How do you pronounce devote?
The recorded pronunciation is /dɪˈvoʊt/.
What does devote mean?
to give one's time, focus one's efforts, commit oneself, etc. entirely for, on, or to a certain matter; to consecrate.
Where does devote come from?
It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce devote

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “devote”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/dɪˈvoʊt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “devote”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “devote” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.