Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Ardent, often selfless affection and dedication, as to a person or principle.
  • noun Religious ardor or zeal; piety.
  • noun An act of religious observance or prayer, especially when private.
  • noun A religious text presenting a prayer, frequently accompanied by an introductory scriptural passage and a homiletic gloss.
  • noun The act of devoting or the state of being devoted.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun The act of devoting; a definitive setting apart, appropriating, or consecrating: as, the devotion of one's means to a certain purpose; the devotion of one's life to the service of God.
  • noun The state of being devoted.
  • noun Earnest and faithful service arising from love, friendship, patriotism, etc.; enthusiastic manifestation of attachment.
  • noun Close attention or application in general: as, his devotion to this pursuit impaired his health.
  • noun An act of worship; a religious exercise.
  • noun Alms given as an act of worship; offerings made at divine service.
  • noun Something consecrated; an object of devotion.
  • noun Power of devoting or applying to use; disposal; bidding.
  • noun Synonyms Consecration, dedication, devotedness.
  • noun 2 . Piety, Godliness, etc. (See religion.)
  • noun . Attachment, Affection, etc. (see love), zeal, fidelity, constancy.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun The act of devoting; consecration.
  • noun The state of being devoted; addiction; eager inclination; strong attachment love or affection; zeal; especially, feelings toward God appropriately expressed by acts of worship; devoutness.
  • noun Act of devotedness or devoutness; manifestation of strong attachment; act of worship; prayer.
  • noun obsolete Disposal; power of disposal.
  • noun rare A thing consecrated; an object of devotion.
  • noun See under Day.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun uncountable The act or state of devoting or being devoted.
  • noun uncountable Feeling of strong or fervent affection; dedication
  • noun uncountable Religious veneration, zeal, or piety.
  • noun countable, ecclesiastical A prayer (often found in the plural)

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun religious zeal; the willingness to serve God
  • noun (usually plural) religious observance or prayers (usually spoken silently)
  • noun commitment to some purpose
  • noun feelings of ardent love

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Latin dēvōtiō, from dēvōtum +‎ -tio, from the supine of dēvoveō ("vow, devote").

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Examples

  • [Page 27] hair which trails on the floor as she kneels, her wan, brown, pathetic face raised suppliantly in devotion, is one of the prettiest, though most common, sights in Mexico on Sunday morning.

    Six Months in Mexico 1888

  • Very little of what we call devotion seasons them.

    Horace William Tuckwell 1874

  • I use the word devotion specifically as it indicates love: these artists loved their patrons, they didn’t just serve them.

    The Poet Prince KATHLEEN MCGOWAN 2010

  • In this I meant recognition of what Simone Weil described this way: "I am an atheist and a Christian, for what we call God cannot possibly exist -- but the object of my devotion is not in vain."

    Jason Derr: A New Conception of the Trinity for Post-Trinity Faith Jason Derr 2010

  • In this I meant recognition of what Simone Weil described this way: "I am an atheist and a Christian, for what we call God cannot possibly exist -- but the object of my devotion is not in vain."

    Jason Derr: A New Conception of the Trinity for Post-Trinity Faith Jason Derr 2010

  • Obviously that devotion is romantic, and here is the reason this scandal has engaged us for so long: its true center is not a particularly lurid and public divorce.

    The Passion of Alec Baldwin 2009

  • Watching these films, I realized that although one man may stand out more than others in devotion and leadership, war is filled with heroes -- the many unnamed heroes that even help to create the known heroes, or the simple heroism of risking your life for the defense of one's country.

    Archive 2009-06-01 Linda 2009

  • Among her friends, Amy’s heedless devotion is often cause for concern.

    The Darkest Evening of the Year by Dean Koontz: Book summary 2010

  • Watching these films, I realized that although one man may stand out more than others in devotion and leadership, war is filled with heroes -- the many unnamed heroes that even help to create the known heroes, or the simple heroism of risking your life for the defense of one's country.

    Taking Chance Linda 2009

  • In this I meant recognition of what Simone Weil described this way: "I am an atheist and a Christian, for what we call God cannot possibly exist -- but the object of my devotion is not in vain."

    Jason Derr: A New Conception of the Trinity for Post-Trinity Faith Jason Derr 2010

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