oath

CEFRB2

/ˈoʊθ/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A serious promise, often made publicly.

  2. 02

    noun

    An offensive word used to express anger or surprise.

Examples

  • He said under oath that he was born in Italy.

  • The knight swore an oath of allegiance to the king.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4
Synonyms
3

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A light, irreverent or insulting appeal to a deity or other entity.

  2. A statement or promise which is strengthened (affirmed) by such a pledge.

  3. A solemn pledge or promise that invokes a deity, a ruler, or another entity (not necessarily present) to attest the truth of a statement or sincerity of one's desire to fulfill a contract or promise.

More examples

In context

  • break one's oath

  • swear an oath

  • take an oath

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The witness raised his right hand and swore a solemn blank to tell the truth in court.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English ooth, oth, ath, from Old English āþ (“oath”), from Proto-West Germanic *aiþ (“oath”), from Proto-Germanic *aiþaz (“oath”). Cognate with Scots aith, athe (“oath”), North Frisian ith, iss (“oath”), Saterland Frisian Eed (“oath”), West Frisian eed (“oath”), Dutch eed (“oath”), German Eid (“oath”), Swedish ed (“oath”), Icelandic eið (“oath”), Latin ūtor (“make use of, employ, avail”, verb), Old Irish óeth (“oath”).