Serious promises or pledges, especially the formal ones made during a wedding ceremony or when making a commitment to someone or something.
From Old French 'vow' and Latin 'votum' (vow, wish, prayer), from 'vovere' (to vow). Originally meant a religious promise or prayer to a deity.
Wedding vows are so important that breaking them is called 'betrayal'—fascinating because this shows how we treat solemn promises like debt we owe, with the language suggesting vows create an obligation that lives in the community, not just between two people.
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