Etymologically
Log in

oath

Etymology and origin of the English word oath

History Permalink
Confidence
Uncertain
Formation
Inherited
First attested
c. 725
Inherited from
Old English āþ
Ultimate origin
Old English (āþ)

Pronunciation

  • IPA: UK /əʊθ/, US /oʊθ/[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Old English āþ (“judicial swearing, solemn appeal”) (about 725, in Beowulf),[2][3][4] from *aiþaz,[2][3][4] cognate with Old Saxon ēth, Dutch eed, German Eid, Old Norse eiðr and Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌸𐍃 (aiþs).[2][3][4] Outside Germanic it is probably related to Old Irish ōeth, oath,[2][3][4] and Merriam-Webster takes the Germanic word to be of Celtic origin;[5] Etymonline thinks the history obscure and possibly non-Indo-European.[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A solemn appeal to God or a sacred thing as witness of truth or a promise: about 1000 in the OED, about 725 in Barnhart.[6][2]

Semantic evolution

A careless use of a sacred name in ordinary speech, a profane oath or curse, is from late Old English, about 1175 in the OED,[3][6] and probably about 1350 in Barnhart.[2] An oath in a looser sense, an emphatic statement, is from 1600.[6] In Australian and New Zealand English, my oath! is an exclamation meaning yes, of course (1859).[6]

Timeline

  • c. 725 – āþ.[2]
  • c. 1175 – a profane oath.[6]
  • 1600 – an emphatic statement.[6]
  • 1859 – my oath! (Australia).[6]

Modern meaning

Noun

  1. A solemn promise or declaration, often calling on God or a sacred object as witness.
  2. under oath: having sworn to tell the truth, as in court.
  3. A swear word; a curse.

Word family

  • Hippocratic oath
  • affirmation
  • swear
  • oath-taking

References

  1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Barnhart, Robert K. (1988), The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology
  3. ^ a b c d e f Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  4. ^ a b c d Hoad, T. F., ed. (1986), The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press

Related etymologies

  • wheel · also from Old English
  • tower · also from Old English
  • inch · also from Old English
  • coal · also from Old English
  • shower · also from Old English
  • shoulder · also from Old English
  • inner · also from Old English
  • gang · also from Old English
Cite this entry

“Oath.” Etymologically, 17 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/oath. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·