COVENANT

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does covenant mean? 

• COVENANT (noun)
  The noun COVENANT has 2 senses:

1. a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action

2. (Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return

  Familiarity information: COVENANT used as a noun is rare.

• COVENANT (verb)
  The verb COVENANT has 2 senses:

1. enter into a covenant

2. enter into a covenant or formal agreement

  Familiarity information: COVENANT used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COVENANT (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Synonyms:

compact; concordat; covenant

Hypernyms ("covenant" is a kind of...):

written agreement (a legal document summarizing the agreement between parties)

Instance hyponyms:

Lateran Treaty (the agreement signed in the Lateran Palace in 1929 by Italy and the Holy See which recognized the Vatican City as a sovereign and independent papal state)

Derivation:

covenant (enter into a covenant or formal agreement)

Sense 2

Meaning:

(Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("covenant" is a kind of...):

agreement; understanding (the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises)

Domain category:

Bible; Book; Christian Bible; Good Book; Holy Scripture; Holy Writ; Scripture; Word; Word of God (the sacred writings of the Christian religions)

Derivation:

covenant (enter into a covenant)

• COVENANT (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they covenant    ... he / she / it covenants   
Past simple: covenanted   
Past participle: covenanted   
-ing form: covenanting   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Enter into a covenant

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "covenant" is one way to...):

pledge; plight (promise solemnly and formally)

Domain category:

faith; organized religion; religion (an institution to express belief in a divine power)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "covenant"):

confirm (administer the rite of confirmation to)

bar mitzvah (confirm in the bar mitzvah ceremony, of boys in the Jewish faith)

bat mitzvah (confirm in the bat mitzvah ceremony, of girls in the Jewish faith)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

covenant ((Bible) an agreement between God and his people in which God makes certain promises and requires certain behavior from them in return)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Enter into a covenant or formal agreement

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Context example:

The nations covenanted to fight terrorism around the world

Hypernyms (to "covenant" is one way to...):

pledge; plight (promise solemnly and formally)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "covenant"):

commune; communicate (receive Communion, in the Catholic church)

communicate (administer Communion; in church)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

covenant (a signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action)

 Context examples 

He forgot that in the covenant entered into between him and the gods they were pledged to care for him and defend him.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

"I felt myself," she added, "to be as solemnly engaged to him, as if the strictest legal covenant had bound us to each other."

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

And, like all succeeding wolves and wild dogs that had done likewise, White Fang worked the covenant out for himself.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

This was the ancient covenant that the first wolf that came in from the Wild entered into with man.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

The months went by, binding stronger and stronger the covenant between dog and man.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

Besides, not only had he abandoned the Wild and his kind when he gave himself up to man, but the terms of the covenant were such that if ever he met Kiche again he would not desert his god to go with her.

(White Fang, by Jack London)