Oath

[ohth] /oʊθ/

noun, plural oaths
[ohth z, ohths] /oʊðz, oʊθs/ (Show IPA)
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.
Idioms
7.
take an oath, to swear solemnly; vow.
/əʊθ/
noun (pl) oaths (əʊðz)
1.
a solemn pronouncement to affirm the truth of a statement or to pledge a person to some course of action, often involving a sacred being or object as witness related adjective juratory
2.
the form of such a pronouncement
3.
an irreverent or blasphemous expression, esp one involving the name of a deity; curse
4.
on oath, upon oath, under oath

5.
take an oath, to declare formally with an oath or pledge, esp before giving evidence
n.

Old English að “oath, judicial swearing, solemn appeal to deity in witness of truth or a promise,” from Proto-Germanic *aithaz (cf. Old Norse eiðr, Swedish ed, Old Saxon, Old Frisian eth, Middle Dutch eet, Dutch eed, German eid, Gothic aiþs “oath”), from PIE *oi-to- “an oath” (cf. Old Irish oeth “oath”). In reference to careless invocations of divinity, from late 12c.

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

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.”