Etymologically
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devout

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Pronunciation

  • /dɪˈvaʊt/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English devout, also devot,[2][3][4][5] borrowed from Old French devot (“pious, devoted”),[6][5][7][8][3] and partly directly borrowed from Latin dēvōtus (“devoted, given up by vow”),[6][4] the past participle of dēvoveō (“to dedicate by vow”).[5][7][8][3] Merriam-Webster and Collins give the Latin source as Late Latin.[2][9] The Latin verb is formed from the intensive prefix dē- and voveō (“to promise, vow”), the source of vote and vow.[10] The Anglo-Norman word is recorded from about 1200.[11] The close vowel of Old French devot became Middle English /uː/, and so the modern diphthong.[5] It is a doublet of devote, which was borrowed directly from Latin in the 16th century.[10][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

Devoted to the worship of God, pious: about 1225, in the Ancrene Riwle,[5][4] where Barnhart finds devot probably before 1200.[7]

Semantic evolution

The word was first used of people, especially in prayer.[6] From before 1340, in Richard Rolle's Psalter, it was also used of actions and things that express devotion,[5] a use Etymonline dates to the late 14th century.[6] A broader sense, devoted to a person or cause, was used from about 1380 to 1659.[5] The sense "earnest, sincere", as in a devout hope, is dated by the OED to 1828, in Webster's dictionary,[5] but by Etymonline to the mid-15th century.[6] Hamlet's phrase "a consummation devoutly to be wish'd" uses the adverb in this sense.[12]

Timeline

  • c. 1225 – devoted to divine worship; pious.[5][4] Barnhart dates devot to before 1200.[7]
  • before 1340 – of acts, expressing devotion.[5]
  • c. 1380 – devoted to a person or cause (obsolete by 1659).[5]
  • 1828 – earnest, sincere.[5] Etymonline dates this sense to the mid-15th century.[6]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Deeply religious; devoted to worship and religious duties: a devout pilgrim.[9][2][5]
  2. Showing or expressing devotion or piety: They stood in devout silence.[2][5]
  3. Sincere, earnest or heartfelt: It is my devout wish that you succeed.[9][2][5]

Word family

  • devoutly
  • devoutness
  • undevout

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  3. ^ a b c Klein, Ernest. A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language. 2 vols. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1966–1967.
  4. ^ a b c d Kurath, Hans; Kuhn, Sherman M.; Lewis, Robert E., eds. (1952–2001), Middle English Dictionary, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; online edition ed. Frances McSparran et al. (2000–2018)
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  7. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  8. ^ a b Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  9. ^ a b c Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  10. ^ a b Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
  11. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)
  12. ^ Weekley, Ernest (1921), An Etymological Dictionary of Modern English, London: John Murray