Devote in Different Languages
Discover 'Devote' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'devote' holds a significant place in our linguistic and cultural landscape, denoting a deep level of commitment and dedication. When we devote ourselves to something, we pour our time, energy, and passion into it, often for the greater good. This concept is universal and transcends cultural boundaries, making it a word of interest for language enthusiasts and cultural observers alike.
Throughout history, acts of devotion have shaped societies and civilizations. From religious devotion in various faiths to personal devotion in relationships and hobbies, this term carries a rich cultural significance. It's no wonder, then, that many people seek to understand its translation in different languages.
For instance, in Spanish, 'devote' translates to 'dedicar', while in French, it becomes 'dévouer'. In German, the word 'devote' translates to 'sich widmen', and in Japanese, it is '捧げる' (sasageru). These translations not only offer insights into the linguistic nuances of different cultures but also highlight the global appeal of this powerful concept.
Devote
Devote in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | wy | ||
| The Afrikaans word "wy" originates from the Dutch word "wij", which also means "we" | |||
| Amharic | ያቅርቡ | ||
| The Ge'ez root ቅረብ (qirräbä) also gives rise to the noun ቅርብ (qirb) 'proximity', which is related to the verb ቀራበ (qäräbbä) 'to draw near', 'to approach'. | |||
| Hausa | duƙufa | ||
| Also written duhufa, meaning literally "to put one's head" and used figuratively to mean "to concentrate, devote oneself to". | |||
| Igbo | itinye | ||
| Itinye in Igbo also refers to a traditional dance performed by young girls during festivals. | |||
| Malagasy | manokana | ||
| "Manokana" can also mean "to consecrate" or "to designate". | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | perekani | ||
| The word "perekani" can also mean "dedicate" or "set apart for a specific purpose". | |||
| Shona | kuzvipira | ||
| "Kuzvipira" also means "to offer oneself for ritual cleansing purposes" | |||
| Somali | u hibee | ||
| The word "u hibee" is also used to refer to a "believer" or someone who is "faithful". | |||
| Sesotho | nehela | ||
| The word "nehela" in Sesotho derives from the verb "ahela," meaning "to give," and connotes the act of freely offering something to a deity or a higher power. | |||
| Swahili | kujitolea | ||
| The word 'kujitolea' in Swahili has multiple meanings, including 'devote', 'sacrifice', and 'volunteer'. | |||
| Xhosa | zinikele | ||
| "Zinikele" has additional meanings, including "pay attention" and "focus. | |||
| Yoruba | fi fun | ||
| Fi fún derives also from the Yoruba verb fún meaning "give to" and the preposition fún which means "for". | |||
| Zulu | nikela | ||
| The word "nikela" can also mean "to put out" or "to make a decision" in Zulu. | |||
| Bambara | a yɛrɛ di | ||
| Ewe | tsɔ eɖokui na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | witange | ||
| Lingala | komipesa | ||
| Luganda | okuwaayo | ||
| Sepedi | inehela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | de wo ho ma | ||
Devote in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | تكريس | ||
| The Arabic word "تكريس" (devote) also means "to consecrate" or "to endow something with a special purpose or function". | |||
| Hebrew | להקדיש | ||
| The word "להקדיש" can also mean to sanctify, to consecrate, or to offer. | |||
| Pashto | وقف کول | ||
| The word "وقف کول" (devote) in Pashto is derived from the Arabic word "وقف" (to stop), which refers to the act of setting something aside or dedicating it to a specific purpose. | |||
| Arabic | تكريس | ||
| The Arabic word "تكريس" (devote) also means "to consecrate" or "to endow something with a special purpose or function". | |||
Devote in Western European Languages
| Albanian | kushtoj | ||
| The word "kushtoj" in Albanian comes from the root word "kushtrim," which means "dedication," and is related to the word "kusht," which means "oath" or "promise." | |||
| Basque | eskaini | ||
| The Basque word "eskaini" is related to the word "eskaini" meaning "offer". | |||
| Catalan | dedicar | ||
| The word "dedicar" in Catalan can also mean "to offer", "to consecrate", or "to apply oneself to something". | |||
| Croatian | posvetiti | ||
| The verb "posvetiti" in Croatian comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*svętъ", meaning "holy" or "sacred". | |||
| Danish | hellige | ||
| The word "hellige" also has the alternate meaning of "to sanctify" in Danish. | |||
| Dutch | wijden | ||
| The Dutch word "wijden" also means "to consecrate" and can refer to the act of making something holy or sacred. | |||
| English | devote | ||
| The word "devote" originates from the Latin word "devovēre," meaning "to curse," but has since acquired a more positive connotation, meaning "to dedicate or consecrate." | |||
| French | consacrer | ||
| "Consacrer" comes from the Latin "consecrare", meaning "to make holy". | |||
| Frisian | wije | ||
| The word "wije" in Frisian is derived from the Old Frisian word "wijen", meaning "to consecrate". | |||
| Galician | dedicar | ||
| The word "dedicar" in Galician, derived from the Latin "dedicare," also has the extended meaning of "inaugurate" or "consecrate." | |||
| German | widmen | ||
| "Widmen" in German can also mean "to dedicate (a book)" or "to commit (a crime)". | |||
| Icelandic | verja | ||
| In Icelandic, "verja" can also mean "to shield", "to protect", or "to ward off". | |||
| Irish | chaitheamh | ||
| The Old Irish word "chaitheamh" meant "expenditure" or "consumption". | |||
| Italian | dedicare | ||
| The word "dedicare" derives from the Latin verb "dedicare", which means "to consecrate" or "to set apart for a special purpose". | |||
| Luxembourgish | widmen | ||
| The word "widmen" in Luxembourgish is derived from the Old High German word "widmen", meaning "to consecrate" or "to dedicate." | |||
| Maltese | jiddedikaw | ||
| The verb 'jiddedikaw' is probably derived from the Italian 'dedicare', or from the Spanish 'dedicar', which in turn derive from the Latin 'dedicare'. | |||
| Norwegian | vie | ||
| The Old Norse word "víg" meant "battle", which is why fighting is still described as "vie"ing in Norwegian. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | dedicar | ||
| In Portuguese, "dedicar" also means to assign or attribute. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | tiomnadh | ||
| The Gaelic word "tiomnadh" means to dedicate, commit to, or consecrate. | |||
| Spanish | dedicar | ||
| "Dedicar" shares its etymology with "dedicate" in English, from the Latin word "dicare" meaning "to proclaim." | |||
| Swedish | hänge | ||
| Hänge is also used to refer to the act of hanging something, such as a painting or a piece of clothing. | |||
| Welsh | neilltuo | ||
| "Neilltuo" can also mean "to apply oneself" or "to give attention to" in Welsh. | |||
Devote in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | прысвяціць | ||
| The Belarusian word "прысвяціць" can also mean "to dedicate" or "to consecrate". | |||
| Bosnian | posvetiti | ||
| The word "posvetiti" in Bosnian can also mean to "bless" or to "consecrate." | |||
| Bulgarian | посвещавам | ||
| "Посвещавам" can also be used in a sense of dedicating or honoring someone or something, as in "Посвещавам тази песен на любимата ми жена" ("I dedicate this song to my beloved wife"). | |||
| Czech | věnovat | ||
| The Czech word "věnovat" can also mean to give a gift, to pay attention to something, or to dedicate something. | |||
| Estonian | pühendama | ||
| The Estonian word "pühendama" is also used in the sense of "dedicate", as in a dedication of a book. | |||
| Finnish | omistautua | ||
| Its first known use in Finnish was in 1559 as the spelling of "omistaa". Both versions are still in use. | |||
| Hungarian | szenteljen | ||
| "Szenteljen" also means "consecrate" or "ordain" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | veltīt | ||
| The Latvian word “veltīt” derives from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel-, meaning “to turn, roll, spin” and is cognate with the English word “will” and the Latin word “voluntas” (will). | |||
| Lithuanian | atsidėti | ||
| The Lithuanian word "atsidėti" can also mean "to sit down" or "to settle down." | |||
| Macedonian | посвети | ||
| The word 'посвети' can also mean 'to enlighten' or 'to illuminate' in Macedonian. | |||
| Polish | poświęcać | ||
| The verb "poświęcać" comes from the word "święty" ("saint") and originally meant to give something to a deity or make it holy. | |||
| Romanian | dedica | ||
| "Dedica" comes from Latin, where it has the meaning of "consecrate, dedicate, devote oneself to." | |||
| Russian | посвящать | ||
| The word "посвящать" originally meant "to initiate into a cult", from the Common Slavic word *svętъ, meaning "holy". | |||
| Serbian | посветити | ||
| The Serbian word "посветити" can also mean "to light up" or "to consecrate". | |||
| Slovak | venovať | ||
| The verb "venovať" in Slovak is most often translated as "dedicate" or "consecrate", but it can also mean "to give as a gift" or "to pay attention to". | |||
| Slovenian | posvetiti | ||
| The word "posvetiti" comes from the Proto-Slavic root *svęt-, meaning "holy, sacred". | |||
| Ukrainian | присвятити | ||
| The Ukrainian word "присвятити" is also used to dedicate something to someone, as in a dedication in a book. | |||
Devote in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | নিবেদিত | ||
| "নিবেদিত" is also the past participle of the verb "নিবেদন" (request)" | |||
| Gujarati | ભક્ત | ||
| The Gujarati word "ભક્ત" can also refer to a type of song or hymn sung in praise of a deity. | |||
| Hindi | समर्पित | ||
| The word "समर्पित" can also mean "dedicated" or "devoted." | |||
| Kannada | ಭಕ್ತಿ | ||
| The word "ಭಕ್ತಿ" (bhakti) in Kannada also refers to a strong emotional attachment or reverence for something (not necessarily a deity). | |||
| Malayalam | അർപ്പിക്കുക | ||
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| Marathi | भक्त | ||
| In Marathi, "भक्त" not only means "devote" but also refers to a follower of a particular deity or guru. | |||
| Nepali | भक्त | ||
| The word 'भक्त' (devote) in Nepali is derived from the Sanskrit word 'भक्ति', which means devotion or love for a deity. | |||
| Punjabi | ਸਮਰਪਤ | ||
| ਸਮਰਪਤ refers to committing to something completely and irreversibly in Punjabi, while in Sanskrit it denotes giving or surrendering. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | කැප කරන්න | ||
| "කැප කරන්න" (devote) is derived from the Sanskrit root "kap" meaning "to cut" or "to divide", and also has the alternate meaning of "to dedicate" or "to give up". | |||
| Tamil | பக்தி | ||
| The term "பக்தி" in Tamil can refer to devotion to a deity, religious fervor, or adoration for someone or something. | |||
| Telugu | అంకితం | ||
| 'అంకితం' can also mean a dedication, a commitment of a task, or of resources. | |||
| Urdu | عقیدت | ||
| "عقیدت" also means belief, faith, and conviction | |||
Devote in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 奉献 | ||
| The word 奉献 derives from the Confucian ideal of serving one's ruler, and can also be used in a broader sense of fulfilling one's responsibilities to the community or to the world. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 奉獻 | ||
| The word "奉獻" can also mean "present" or "offer". | |||
| Japanese | 献身する | ||
| The verb 献身する (kenshin suru) can also mean to consecrate something, such as a piece of land for a shrine. | |||
| Korean | 바치다 | ||
| "바치다" is derived from the Middle Korean word "바시다," which means "to submit." | |||
| Mongolian | зориул | ||
| "Зориул" is of unknown origin, but may be derived from the Sanskrit "zori", "to offer up" | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဆက်ကပ်အပ်နှံ | ||
| “ဆက်ကပ်အပ်နှံ” (“devote”) comes from the Pali words “sacca” meaning truth, and “kappa” meaning practice, and is related to the Sanskrit word “samyak.” It is also related to the English word “secular,” from “saeculum” (meaning “generation” or “age”). | |||
Devote in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | menyerahkan | ||
| In Malay, "menyerahkan" also means "to give up". | |||
| Javanese | nyembah | ||
| In some Javanese dialects, "nyembah" also means "to greet" or "to respect". | |||
| Khmer | លះបង់ | ||
| "លះបង់" also means "to sacrifice" and "to give up". | |||
| Lao | ອຸທິດ | ||
| ອຸທິດ comes from Sanskrit; one of its other meanings is "to give over to the possession of another or others; to deliver; to hand over, as some right, property, or power" | |||
| Malay | menumpukan | ||
| The word "menumpukan" is thought to originate from the Proto-Austronesian word "*tumpuk", meaning "to pile up" or "to gather". | |||
| Thai | อุทิศ | ||
| The word "อุทิศ" originates from the Sanskrit word "उत् + इष्" (ut + ish), which means "to sprinkle, to pour, or to offer". | |||
| Vietnamese | cống hiến | ||
| The word "cống hiến" is a compound of "cống" (tribute) and "hiến" (offer), which together mean "to contribute or dedicate oneself to a cause". | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | italaga | ||
Devote in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | həsr edin | ||
| "həsr edin" is an Azerbaijani verb meaning "devote", derived from the Persian "həsr kərd" (to surround, to enclose). | |||
| Kazakh | арнау | ||
| The word "арнау" (devote) in Kazakh also means "to bless" or "to consecrate". | |||
| Kyrgyz | арноо | ||
| The word "арноо" can also mean "to pray" or "to worship". | |||
| Tajik | бахшидан | ||
| The word "бахшидан" derives from the Persian language and originally meant "to give a gift" or "to bestow". | |||
| Turkmen | bagyşlaň | ||
| Uzbek | bag'ishlang | ||
| (No information about the etymology of the word "bag'ishlang" - meaning "devote" - is available.) | |||
| Uyghur | تەقۋادار | ||
Devote in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | hoʻolaʻa | ||
| The Hawaiian word "hoʻolaʻa" has the additional meaning of "to make sacred". | |||
| Maori | whakapau kaha | ||
| In Maori mythology, "whakapau kaha" can also refer to a ritual invocation of supernatural powers, invoking gods or ancestors for support and protection. | |||
| Samoan | tuuto | ||
| 'Tuuto' can also refer to a ceremonial offering to a chief or god. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | magtalaga | ||
| "Magtalaga" also means "appoint" or "assign" when used in the context of people or things. | |||
Devote in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | devotar uñt’ayaña | ||
| Guarani | odedika haguã | ||
Devote in International Languages
| Esperanto | dediĉi | ||
| "Dediĉi" also means "to consecrate" or "to dedicate", both in the sense of making something sacred or special. | |||
| Latin | inculto | ||
| In Latin, "inculto" also means "to cultivate" or "to till". | |||
Devote in Others Languages
| Greek | αφιερώνω | ||
| The word 'αφιερώνω' in Greek is a compound word, derived from the words 'από' (from) and 'ιερόν' (sacred), and signifies to set apart from a common to a sacred use | |||
| Hmong | mob siab | ||
| The word "mob siab" can also mean "to cherish" or "to love deeply" in Hmong. | |||
| Kurdish | şabaşkirin | ||
| The Kurdish word "şabaşkirin" also means "to be satisfied". | |||
| Turkish | adamak | ||
| "Adamak" derives from the Arabic "adam", which means "to pledge", and shares the same Indo-European root with "command". | |||
| Xhosa | zinikele | ||
| "Zinikele" has additional meanings, including "pay attention" and "focus. | |||
| Yiddish | אָפּגעבן | ||
| The Yiddish word "אָפּגעבן" can also mean "to give up" or "to surrender". | |||
| Zulu | nikela | ||
| The word "nikela" can also mean "to put out" or "to make a decision" in Zulu. | |||
| Assamese | ভক্তি কৰা | ||
| Aymara | devotar uñt’ayaña | ||
| Bhojpuri | भक्त करे के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޚާއްޞަކުރުން | ||
| Dogri | भक्त कर दे | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | italaga | ||
| Guarani | odedika haguã | ||
| Ilocano | agdedikar | ||
| Krio | devote fɔ du ɔltin | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | تەرخان بکە | ||
| Maithili | भक्त | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯀꯠꯊꯣꯀꯄꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | devote rawh | ||
| Oromo | of kennuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଭକ୍ତ | ||
| Quechua | dedicay | ||
| Sanskrit | भक्त | ||
| Tatar | багышлагыз | ||
| Tigrinya | ውፉያት ምግባር | ||
| Tsonga | tinyiketela | ||