Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- v. To command or enjoin solemnly, as under oath: "adjuring her in the name of God to declare the truth” ( Increase Mather).
- v. To appeal to or entreat earnestly.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- To charge, bind, or command, earnestly and solemnly, often with an appeal to God or the invocation of a curse in case of disobedience; hence, to entreat or request earnestly: as, “I adjure thee by the living God,” Mat. xxvi. 63; his friend adjured him to be careful.
- To swear by: as, to adjure the holy name of God. Synonyms To conjure, implore, enjoin, pray, beg, entreat, beseech, supplicate.
Wiktionary
- v. To issue a formal command, especially in a legal context.
- v. To earnestly appeal or advise.
GNU Webster's 1913
- v. To charge, bind, or command, solemnly, as if under oath, or under the penalty of a curse; to appeal to in the most solemn or impressive manner; to entreat earnestly.
WordNet 3.0
- v. ask for or request earnestly
- v. command solemnly
Etymologies
- Middle English adjuren, from Latin adiūrāre, to swear to : ad-, ad- + iūrāre, to swear; see yewes- in Indo-European roots.
Examples
“Obj. 3: Further, to adjure is to induce a person to swear.”
“God: God alone, 92, 247; in what sense we "adjure" Him in our prayers, 148; by prayer we become His beggars, 79, 110;”
“The word "adjure", i.e., cause to swear is used with reference to the casting out of demons (Acts 19: 13).”
“You, on the other hand, adjure that my posts are "frothed with more like despair, and dissatisfaction", and are "almost void or lacking the bolstering of support her new found home town direly needs".”
“On thee I call, and thee adjure, Eurotas green with river-reeds, to tell me if this rumour of my husband's death be true.”
“Tell me, I adjure thee, how wert thou from my home conveyed?”
“Thou hast undone me, nurse; I do adjure by the gods, mention that man no more.”
“I adjure thee by the gods, compel me not to sin against thee, nor sin thyself.”
“Yea, by heaven I adjure you; help, your aid is needed.”
“Yet so far as I may and can, I raise for them a dirge, and do adjure the gods to witness how thou hast slain my sons, and wilt not suffer me to embrace or bury their dead bodies.”
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