adj, noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   a hymn or chant dedicated to a particular saint, or to the Virgin Mary

Adjective

1. 1
   Dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow or pledge.

   "She placed a votive offering at the shrine."

2. 2
   Of, expressing, or symbolizing a vow. Often used to describe thick cylindrical candles found in many churches, lit when making a private vow or asking a private intention.

   "The church was lit by votive candles."

Adjective

1. 1
   dedicated in fulfillment of a vow wordnet

Synonyms

All synonyms

consecrated

Example

More examples

"Having climbed all the way to the shrine, I decided to dedicate a votive horse tablet."

Etymology

From Middle French votif, from Latin vōtīvus (“votive”), from vōtum (“vow”).

Related phrases

ex votovirgin maryvotive candlevotive massvotive offering

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.