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oath
8 dictionary results for: oath
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
oath       [ohth] Pronunciation Key
–noun, plural oaths       [ohthz, ohths] Pronunciation Key.
1.a solemn appeal to a deity, or to some revered person or thing, to witness one's determination to speak the truth, to keep a promise, etc.: to testify upon oath.
2.a statement or promise strengthened by such an appeal.
3.a formally affirmed statement or promise accepted as an equivalent of an appeal to a deity or to a revered person or thing; affirmation.
4.the form of words in which such a statement or promise is made.
5.an irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God or anything sacred.
6.any profane expression; curse; swearword: He slammed the door with a muttered oath.
—Idiom
7.take an oath, to swear solemnly; vow.
[Origin: bef. 900; ME ooth, OE āth; c. G Eid]

—Synonyms 2. vow, pledge. 5. profanity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
oath       (ōth)  Pronunciation Key 
n.   pl. oaths (ōthz, ōths)
    1. A solemn, formal declaration or promise to fulfill a pledge, often calling on God, a god, or a sacred object as witness.
    2. The words or formula of such a declaration or promise.
    3. Something declared or promised.
  2. An irreverent or blasphemous use of the name of God or something held sacred.
  3. An imprecation; a curse.


[Middle English oth, from Old English āth.]

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
oath 
O.E. að "oath, judicial swearing, solemn appeal to deity in witness of truth or a promise," from P.Gmc. *aithaz (cf. O.N. eiðr, Swed. ed, O.Fris. eth, Du. eed, Ger. eid, Goth. aiþs "oath"), from PIE *oi-to- "an oath" (cf. O.Ir. oeth "oath"). In ref. to careless invocations of divinity, from c.1175.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
oath

noun
1. profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger; "expletives were deleted" [syn: curse] 
2. a commitment to tell the truth (especially in a court of law); to lie under oath is to become subject to prosecution for perjury 
3. a solemn promise, usually invoking a divine witness, regarding your future acts or behavior; "they took an oath of allegiance" 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
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Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: oath
Function: noun
1 : a solemn attestation of the truth of one's words or the sincerity of one's intentions; specifically : one accompanied by calling upon a deity as a witness
2 : a promise (as to perform official duties faithfully) corroborated by an oath —compare PERJURY—under oath : under a solemn and esp. legal obligation to tell the truth (as when testifying)

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Free On-line Dictionary of Computing - Cite This Source - Share This

OATH
Object-oriented Abstract Type Hierarchy, a class library for C++ from Texas Instruments.

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Oath

Oath\ ([=o]th), n.; pl. Oaths ([=o][th]z). [OE. othe, oth, ath, AS. [=a][eth]; akin to D. eed, OS. [=e][eth], G. eid, Icel. ei[eth]r, Sw. ed, Dan. eed, Goth. ai[thorn]s; cf. OIr. oeth.]

1. A solemn affirmation or declaration, made with a reverent appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. "I have an oath in heaven" --Shak.

An oath of secrecy for the concealing of those [inventions] which we think fit to keep secret. --Bacon.

2. A solemn affirmation, connected with a sacred object, or one regarded as sacred, as the temple, the altar, the blood of Abel, the Bible, the Koran, etc.

3. (Law) An appeal (in verification of a statement made) to a superior sanction, in such a form as exposes the party making the appeal to an indictment for perjury if the statement be false.

4. A careless and blasphemous use of the name of the divine Being, or anything divine or sacred, by way of appeal or as a profane exclamation or ejaculation; an expression of profane swearing. "A terrible oath" --Shak.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Oath

a solemn appeal to God, permitted on fitting occasions (Deut. 6:13; Jer. 4:2), in various forms (Gen. 16:5; 2 Sam. 12:5; Ruth 1:17; Hos. 4:15; Rom. 1:9), and taken in different ways (Gen. 14:22; 24:2; 2 Chr. 6:22). God is represented as taking an oath (Heb. 6:16-18), so also Christ (Matt. 26:64), and Paul (Rom. 9:1; Gal. 1:20; Phil. 1:8). The precept, "Swear not at all," refers probably to ordinary conversation between man and man (Matt. 5:34,37). But if the words are taken as referring to oaths, then their intention may have been to show "that the proper state of Christians is to require no oaths; that when evil is expelled from among them every yea and nay will be as decisive as an oath, every promise as binding as a vow."

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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