vot
Latinvow, wish, vote
About This Root
The root vot comes from Latin vovēre (to vow) and its noun vōtum (a vow, a solemn promise made to the gods). In the ancient world a vōtum was a sacred bargain: a Roman would promise the gods a gift or a sacrifice — if his prayer were granted. The thing you promised, and the wish behind it, were both wrapped up in this one word. (When the wish came true, you paid your debt with an ex-voto, an offering left at the temple in thanks — a custom that survives in churches to this day.)
From this idea of a binding, hopeful promise, English inherited a small but vivid family.
The biggest surprise is vote. Originally a vote was nothing political — it was a vōtum, an earnest wish or prayer. To 'vote' for something was to wish for it earnestly, to declare what you devoutly wanted. Over time, in assemblies and councils, expressing your earnest wish became the formal act of choosing — and the wish hardened into the ballot. The sacred prayer turned into the secular show of hands. A voter is simply one who casts that wish-turned-choice.
devote keeps the original force of the vow almost intact: de- here intensifies ('completely'), so to devote is to vow yourself utterly to something — to hand over your time, energy, or life as if it were a sacred offering. The state of being so committed is devotion; a person full of it is a devotee; and the old adjective devout describes someone whose whole life is one continuous vow to God.
votary points straight back to the temple: a votary is literally 'one bound by a vow' — a monk or nun pledged to a religious life — and by extension any fervent follower or enthusiast, someone who has, in effect, taken vows toward a cause.
Note also vow itself: it is the very same Latin vōtum, just worn down through Old French into a plain English word. So vow, vote, and devote are siblings — all of them, at heart, about making a solemn promise.
The pattern of the family: start from a sacred promise to the gods, and the words fan out — vote drifts into politics, devote stays close to wholehearted dedication, and votary stays nearest the altar.
Think of a vow at a wedding — a solemn promise spoken out loud. That's the heart of every vot word. When you vote, you're declaring your earnest wish; when you devote yourself, you vow your whole self to something; a votary has, in effect, taken vows.
Core Words Deep Dive
The few words from this family worth telling in full — one by one.
The most surprising member of the family. A *vote* started life as a *vōtum* — an earnest wish or prayer, not a ballot. To 'vote' for something originally meant to wish for it devoutly. In councils and assemblies, declaring your earnest wish gradually became the formal act of choosing, and the sacred prayer hardened into the secular ballot. The wish behind the word is why we still 'cast' a vote, as if launching a hope.
devote keeps the original vow almost intact: *de-* intensifies ('thoroughly'), so to devote is to vow yourself *completely* to something — to offer up your time, energy, or life as if making a sacred pledge. Note the typical pattern 'devote X to Y' and the adjective devoted (loyal, dedicated). Its relatives devotion, devotee, and devout all carry that same flavor of wholehearted, almost religious commitment.
A transparent agent noun: vote + -er = 'one who votes.' What makes it worth a look is how thoroughly the original 'wish' meaning has vanished — a voter today is a purely political figure, defined by collocations like *registered voter*, *swing voter*, *eligible voter*. The word's everyday life is entirely in the polling booth.
The word that points straight back to the temple. A votary is literally 'one bound by a vow' (vot + -ary, 'one connected with') — historically a monk or nun pledged to religious life. By extension it now means any fervent devotee or enthusiast: a votary of art, a votary of liberty. It is rare and literary, but it shows the root in its purest, most original sense.
Related Roots
Both involve swearing, but jur (from jūrāre, 'to swear') is about oaths in a legal sense — swearing to tell the truth or to obey the law: jury, perjure, conjure. vot (from vovēre) is about vows in a sacred or devotional sense — promises of dedication: devote, votary. Quick test: courtroom oath → jur; heartfelt dedication → vot.
spond (from spondēre, 'to pledge solemnly') is the root of sponsor, respond, correspond — a formal promise or undertaking, often between two parties. vot is more one-sided and inward: a vow you make out of devotion. spond binds you to another; vot binds you to a cause or a god.
sacr (from sacer, 'holy') gives sacred, sacrifice, consecrate. It overlaps with vot in the religious arena: a vōtum was made to the gods, and an ex-voto was a sacred offering. Where sacr marks something as holy, vot marks the promise made toward the holy.