covenant means an agreement to do or not do a particular thing.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, covenant ranks #7,102 of 14,448 for Funniest Words, #7,127 of 14,431 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #7,152 of 14,445 for Most Beautiful Words, #7,156 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words.
covenant is pronounced /ˈkʌv.ən.ənt/.
Why “covenant” is a great word
A formal, solemn, and binding compact, often of a religious nature, forged between parties. From Middle English *covenaunt*, borrowed from Old French *covenant* ("agreement"), from Latin *conveniēns*, *convenientem* ("agreeing, suitable"), present participle of *conveniō* ("to come together, agree"). Unlike a "contract"—a legally enforceable, secular document of specific terms—or a "promise"—a personal, often unilateral assurance—a covenant is a mutual vow of profound commitment, sealing a relationship more than an exchange. It is the ritual cut of flesh beneath a shared sky, the weight of a seal pressed into wax by a sovereign's ring, the silent, understood terms written not on parchment but in the very bones of kinship—a pact that seeks to bind souls, not merely interests, and to make permanence out of the perishable stuff of words.
Etymology
From Middle English covenaunt, borrowed from Old French covenant (“agreement”), from Latin conveniēns, convenientem (“agreeing, agreeable, suitable, convenient”), present participle of conveniō (“to agree”). Cognate with convenient and convene.
noun
- An agreement to do or not do a particular thing.
- A promise, incidental to a deed or contract, either express or implied.
- A pact or binding agreement between two or more parties (often one that is religious or religiously-based).
- An incidental clause in an agreement.
verb
- To enter into, or promise something by, a covenant.“Jupiter Covenanted with him, that it should be Hot or Cold, Wet or Dry, […] as the Tenant should Direct.”
- To enter a formal agreement.
- To bind oneself in contract.
- To make a stipulation.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- contrahent 87% match — Entering into covenant; contracting. vs covenant →
- covenanter 86% match — One who makes a covenant. vs covenant →
- solemnize 85% match — To make solemn, or official, through ceremony or legal act. vs covenant →
- concordat 85% match — A formal agreement between two parties, especially between a church and a state; specifically, an agreement between the Pope and a government. vs covenant →
- ratify 85% match — To give formal consent to; make officially valid, sign off on. vs covenant →
- recognizance 84% match — A form of bail; a promise made by the accused to the court that they will attend all required judicial proceedings and will not engage in further illegal activity or other prohibited conduct as set by the court. vs covenant →
- rite 84% match — A religious custom. vs covenant →
- precontract 84% match — A contract preceding another, especially a contract of marriage which, according to the ancient law, rendered void a subsequent marriage solemnized in violation of it. vs covenant →