*vow*

n. [ OE. avoweisoun, OF. avoëson, fr. L. advocatio. Cf. Advocation. ] (Eng. Law) The right of presenting to a vacant benefice or living in the church. [ Originally, the relation of a patron (advocatus) or protector of a benefice, and thus privileged to nominate or present to it. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ The benefices of the Church of England are in every case subjects of presentation. They are nearly 12, 000 in number; the advowson of more than half of them belongs to private persons, and of the remainder to the crown, bishops, deans and chapters, universities, and colleges. Amer. Cyc. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ } n. [ OE. avoutrie, avouterie, advoutrie, OF. avoutrie, avulterie, fr. L. adulterium. Cf. Adultery. ] Adultery. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Avowed (&unr_;); p. pr. & vb. n. Avowing. ] [ F. avouver, fr. L. advocare to call to (whence the meanings, to call upon as superior; recognize as lord, own, confess); ad + vocare to call. See Advocate, Avouch. ] 1. To declare openly, as something believed to be right; to own or acknowledge frankly; as, a man avows his principles or his crimes. [ 1913 Webster ]

Which I to be the of Israel's God
Avow, and challenge Dagon to the test. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. (Law) To acknowledge and justify, as an act done. See Avowry. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- To acknowledge; own; confess. See Confess. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ Cf. F. aveu. ] Avowal. [ Obs. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. & i. [ OF. avouer, fr. LL. votare to vow, fr. L. votun. See Vote, n. ] To bind, or to devote, by a vow. [ Obs. ] Wyclif. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A vow or determination. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Capable of being avowed, or openly acknowledged, with confidence. Donne. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An open declaration; frank acknowledgment; as, an avowal of such principles. Hume. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. Act of avowing; avowal. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Upholding; defense; vindication. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Can my avowance of king-murdering be collected from anything here written by me? Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Law) The defendant in replevin, who avows the distress of the goods, and justifies the taking. Cowell. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Openly acknowledged or declared; admitted. -- A*vow"ed*ly adv. [1913 Webster]

n. [ F. avoué. Cf. Advowee, Advocate, n. ] The person who has a right to present to a benefice; the patron; an advowee. See Advowson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who avows or asserts. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. avouerie protection, authority, OF. avouerie. See Avow to declare. ] 1. An advocate; a patron; a patron saint. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

Let God alone be our avowry. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. The act of the distrainer of goods, who, in an action of replevin, avows and justifies the taking in his own right. Blackstone. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ When an action of replevin is brought, the distrainer either makes avowry, that is, avours taking the distress in his own right, or the right of his wife, and states the reason if it, as for arrears of rent, damage done, or the like; or makes cognizance, that is, acknowledges the taking, but justifies in an another's right, as his bailiff or servant. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. Adultery. See Advoutry. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ F. dévouer, L. devovere. See Devote, v. t. ] 1. To give up; to devote. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

2. [ Cf. OF. desvoer. Cf. Disavow. ] To disavow; to disclaim. [ Obs. ] G. Fletcher. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Disavowed p. pr. & vb. n. Disavowing. ] [ F. désavouer; pref. dés- (L. dis-) + avouer to avow. See Avow, and cf. Disavouch. ] 1. To refuse strongly and solemnly to own or acknowledge; to deny responsibility for, approbation of, and the like; to disclaim; to disown; as, he was charged with embezzlement, but he disavows the crime. [ 1913 Webster ]

A solemn promise made and disavowed. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To deny; to show the contrary of; to disprove. [ 1913 Webster ]

Yet can they never
Toss into air the freedom of my birth,
Or disavow my blood Plantagenet's. Ford. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. able to be disavowed. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. The act of disavowing, disclaiming, or disowning; rejection and denial. [ 1913 Webster ]

An earnest disavowal of fear often proceeds from fear. Richardson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disavowal. [ Obs. ] South. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who disavows. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Disavowal. [ R. ] Wotton. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (Phon.) (a) A sound intermediate between a vowel and a consonant, or partaking of the nature of both, as in the English w and y. (b) The sign or letter representing such a sound. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having no vowel sounds or signs. [ Written also unvowelled. ] Skinner. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ OE. vou, OF. vou, veu, vo, vu, F. v&unr_;u, from L. votum, from vovere, to vow. Cf. Avow, Devout, Vote. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. A solemn promise made to God, or to some deity; an act by which one consecrates or devotes himself, absolutely or conditionally, wholly or in part, for a longer or shorter time, to some act, service, or condition; a devotion of one's possessions; as, a baptismal vow; a vow of poverty. “Nothing . . . that may . . . stain my vow of Nazarite.” Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

I pray thee, let me go and pay my vow. 2 Sam. xv. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am combined by a sacred vow. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Specifically, a promise of fidelity; a pledge of love or affection; as, the marriage vow. [ 1913 Webster ]

Knights of love, who never broke their vow;
Firm to their plighted faith. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Vowed p. pr. & vb. n. Vowing. ] [ OE. vouen, OF. vouer, voer, F. vouer, LL. votare. See Vow, n. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

1. To give, consecrate, or dedicate to God, or to some deity, by a solemn promise; to devote; to promise solemnly. “When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it.” Eccl. v. 4. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Men ] that vow a long and weary pilgrimage. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To assert solemnly; to asseverate. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To make a vow, or solemn promise. [ 1913 Webster ]

Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. Eccl. v. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. [ F. voyelle, or an OF. form without y, L. vocalis (sc. littera), from vocalis sounding, from vox, vocis, a voice, sound. See Vocal. ] (Phon.) A vocal, or sometimes a whispered, sound modified by resonance in the oral passage, the peculiar resonance in each case giving to each several vowel its distinctive character or quality as a sound of speech; -- distinguished from a consonant in that the latter, whether made with or without vocality, derives its character in every case from some kind of obstructive action by the mouth organs. Also, a letter or character which represents such a sound. See Guide to Pronunciation, §§ 5, 146-149. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ In the English language, the written vowels are a, e, i, o, u, and sometimes w and y. The spoken vowels are much more numerous. [ 1913 Webster ]

Close vowel. See under Close, a. --
Vowel point. See under Point, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of or pertaining to a vowel; vocal. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Furnished with vowels. [ Written also vowelled. ] Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the nature of a vowel. [ R. ] “The power [ of w ] is always vowelish.” B. Jonson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. The use of vowels. [ R. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. To give the quality, sound, or office of a vowel to. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who makes a vow. Bale. [ 1913 Webster ]