French Conversation · Level 176
15 words
French word
dévouer
Pronunciation
IPA/devwe/
Meaning
- verbdevote oneself
Example
Elle se dévoue à sa famille.
She devotes herself to her family.
More examples
Il se dévoue à ses patients.
He devotes himself to his patients.
Core concept
A person steadily giving time and care to others or a cause, placing that commitment before personal convenience.
Common phrases
se dévouer à
devote oneself to
dévouer sa vie à
devote one's life to
Similar words
aider: Helping someone who is in difficulty.
se consacrer: Giving one's time and energy mainly to a particular person or task.
s'investir: Putting time and energy enthusiastically into a job or activity.
s'engager: Committing to an agreement or activity and accepting responsibility for it.
Definition in French
Se consacrer, souvent de façon désintéressée, à une personne, à un groupe ou à une cause en fournissant aide ou soins prolongés.
Word origin
French dévouer comes through Old French devouer from Latin dēvovēre, "to vow or dedicate," leading to the sense of dedicating oneself.
Usage tips
- For personal commitment, French normally uses se dévouer à, while dévouer alone can take a direct object such as sa vie before à une cause.
Other meanings
- devoteverb
Opposites
- négligerneglectverb
Related words
- dévouementdevotionnoun
- dévouédevotedadjective