Webster's English Dictionary

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devote

de.vote \di-'vo-t\ \di-'vo-t-m*nt\ vt [L devotus, pp. of devove-re, fr. de- 
   + vove-re t]o vow 1: to dedicate by a solemn act  2a: to give up wholly or 
   purposefully  2b: to center the attention or activities of (oneself)  set 
   apart for a particular use or end. DEVOTE applies chiefly to personal 
   activity and suggests motives as impelling as a vow; DEDICATE implies 
   solemn and exclusive devotion to a sacred or serious use; CONSECRATE even 
   more strongly than DEDICATE implies investing with a solemn and sacred 
   character; HALLOW may be equivalent to CONSECRATE or it may imply intrinsic 
   rather than conferred holiness - de.vote.ment n SYN syn DEVOTE, DEDICATE, 
   CONSECRATE, HALLOW mean to