covenantn.
/ˈkʌvɪnənt/ 1. † b. to, on, upon, in, at (a or the) covenant: on a mutual stipulation, or understanding; on the condition that. Obsolete.
a. A mutual agreement between two or more persons to do or refrain from doing certain acts; a compact, contract, bargain; sometimes, the undertaking, pledge, or promise of one of the parties. Phrases, to make or enter into a covenant; to hold, keep, break covenant (No longer in ordinary use, except when coloured by legal or theological associations.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > an agreement
forewardOE
accordc1275
covenant1297
end1297
form1297
frettec1330
conjurationc1374
treatc1380
bargainc1386
contractc1386
comenaunt1389
compositionc1405
treaty1427
pact1429
paction1440
reconventionc1449
treatisea1464
hostage1470
packa1475
trystc1480
bond (also band) of manrent1482
covenance1484
concordance1490
patisement1529
capitulation1535
conventmenta1547
convenience1551
compact1555
negotiation1563
sacrament1563
match1569
consortship1592
after-agreementa1600
combourgeoisie1602
convention1603
comburghership1606
transaction1611
end-makingc1613
obligement1627
bare contract1641
stipulation1649
accompackmentc1650
rue-bargaina1657
concordat1683
minute1720
tacka1758
understanding1803
meet1804
it's a go1821
deal1863
whizz1869
stand-in1870
gentlemen's agreement1880
meeting of minds1883
α.
β. 1297 R. Gloucester's Chron. (Rolls) 3722 Al þat lond By certeyn conuenant was in Kyng Artures hond.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2352 Our lauerd him held for treu conuenand.a1555 D. Lindsay Tragedie in Dialog Experience & Courteour (1559) sig. Svii Haistelie my conuenent I brak.γ. c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 57 Suane..to þat conant him bond.a1400–50 Alexander 5543 He [Alexander] makis a conand with his kniȝtis.1483 Cath. Angl. 74 To breke Conande, depacisci..To make Conande, pacisci.1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) viii. l. 1345 To Bruce sen syne he kepit na connand.1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 753 Ye cunnand on yis wys was maid.a1522 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid (1959) viii. Prol. 102 Quhou mony crakkyt cunnand!1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection iii. sig. KKKvi Their eares also hath made a conuencion or conande with reason.δ. c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 108 Cumnawnte [v.rr. comnawnt, cunaunt], pactum, fedus, convencio.c1315 Shoreham 64 Hit is wykked condicioun, Covenaunt of schrewead-hede.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7484 ‘Sir King’, he said, ‘hald me couenand’.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Franklin's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 871 Haue I nat holden couenant vn to thee.
1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 103 They made couenaunt that they sholde slee him.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 999 Ne he keppid no couenaund to þe kynd maydon.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Matrimonie f. xiiii*v So these persons may surely perfourme and kepe the vowe and couenaunt betwixt them made.
1611 Bible (King James) Gen. xxi. 27 And Abraham tooke sheepe and oxen, and gaue them vnto Abimelech: and both of them made a couenant [1535 Coverdale bond together] . View more context for this quotation
1643 J. Caryl Nature Sacred Covenant 7 A Covenant..is more than a promise, and lesse than a Oath.
1645 Directory Publique Worship 61 Who are now to be joyned in the honourable Estate of Marriage, the Covenant of their God.
1782 W. Cowper Conversation in Poems 246 Bad men, profaning friendship's hallow'd name, Form, in its stead, a covenant of shame.
1841 M. Elphinstone Hist. India II. vi. i. 17 He had entered into a covenant for mutual support with forty of the king's other slaves.
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c1325 Metr. Hom. 2 Thu gaf man skil and insiht..To kouenand that he serue the riht.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7637 If he wald His doghter wedde..To þe conuenand for to bring An hundreth hefds to þe king.
c1400 Melayne 193 In that conande I yelde it the.
c1440 Ipomydon 696 I shall you telle, At this couenant wold I dwelle.
?c1450 Life St. Cuthbert (1891) l. 1700 On þe conand þat whils I leue Þou tell naman what I didd.
c1480 (a1400) St. Theodora 237 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 106 One þat cunnande..I wil tel þe a thing.
a1500 Merchant & Son 80 in W. C. Hazlitt Remains Early Pop. Poetry Eng. (1864) I. 138 On a covenaunt, fadur, y wyll, and ellys not.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxxxviv To conclude a truce..vpon couenaunt, euery man to have his awne.
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the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > [noun] > made to oneself
covenantc1385
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Cleopatra. 688 And in myn self this couenaunt made I tho, ffor ryght swich as ȝe feldyn wel or wo The same wolde I felen, life or dethe.
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the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > terms of agreement > a condition or stipulation
mannerc1400
covenantc1440
conditionala1533
authorament1607
requisition1620
postulatum1639
thingum1649
qualification1660
ultimatum1733
requirement1737
term1746
stipulation1750
contingency1818
precondition1825
chapter1864
c1440 Ipomydon 711 Home they rode..And to the quene the covenantys seyd.
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 712 And swiftly he sware on þat shene god; All the couenaundes to kepe.
1584 H. Llwyd & D. Powel Hist. Cambria 119 Certaine other couenants were agreed upon between them.
1614 W. Raleigh Hist. World i. iii. viii. §6. 96 To make good the couenants of the late concluded peace.
4.
a. Law. A formal agreement, convention, or promise of legal validity; esp. in English Law, a promise or contract under seal. (The English equivalent of Latin conventio as technically used from the Norman Conquest onwards.)
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society > law > legal obligation > contract > [noun]
covenantc1330
contractc1386
finec1390
agreement1425
obligement1499
convention1513
achate1607
mail contract1843
punctation1855
pay-or-play1949
c1330 R. Mannyng Chron. (1810) 260 Þe conantz þat wer sette..Kyng Philip has þam gette fro þat tyme hiderward.
c1385 G. Chaucer Legend Good Women Ariadne. 2135 As ye han In this Covenaunt herd me rede.
1480 W. Caxton Chron. Eng. ccxxix. 240 It was sent to the court of rome..that the forsayd couenauntz shold be enbulled.
1592 W. West Symbolæogr.: 1st Pt. §100 G An Instrument of Couenants therefore is a formal deed conteining an agreement of diuers persons.
1641 Rastell's Termes de la Ley (new ed.) f. 91v Covenant is an Agreement made by Deed in writing, and sealed between two persons..if the one of them holdeth not his covenant but breaketh it, then hee which thereof feeleth himself grieved, shall have thereupon a Writ of covenant.
1817 W. Selwyn Abridgem. Law Nisi Prius (ed. 4) II. Index s.v. Express and implied covenants defined.
1837 Penny Cycl. VIII. 116 The lien of covenants usually contains introductory words, declaring the entent of the covenant. If there are several covenantors, it usually declares the covenant to be several, or joint, or joint and several.
1875 K. E. Digby Introd. Hist. Law Real Prop. vi. 253 A covenant to stand seised was where a person agreed to stand seised to the use of some near relation—son, brother, nephew, or cousin.
b. esp. A particular clause of agreement contained in a deed; e.g. the ordinary covenants to pay rent, etc. in a lease.
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society > law > legal document > [noun] > paragraph or clause > particular clause of agreement
covenanta1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) i. iv. 141 Let there be Couenants drawne between's. View more context for this quotation
1637 J. Milton Comus 24 You invert the cov'nants of her [sc. nature's] trust.
a1720 J. Sheffield Wks. (1753) II. 103 The City granted the Lease at last..full of covenants so much to the City's advantage.
1767 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. (new ed.) II. 304 After warranty usually follow covenants, or conventions; which are clauses of agreement contained in a deed.
1810 J. Marshall Writings upon Federal Constit. (1839) 127 The suit was instituted on several covenants contained in a deed made by John Peck.
1872 R. B. Smyth Mining Statist. 97 Four new leases..were declared void for non-fulfilment of covenants.
1893 N.E.D. at Covenant Mod. Are there any restrictive covenants on this property?
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society > law > legal obligation > contract > [noun] > matter agreed upon
covenant1377
maintenance contract1915
the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > [noun] > bond or covenant
bond1330
covenant1377
forthwarda1400
handbanda1400
banda1440
specialty1606
sacrament1679
1377 W. Langland Piers Plowman B. xiv. 153 (MS. C) Alle þat done her connande wel han dowble hyre for her trauaille.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4990 Þe term es fourti dais sette þat i o þam mi cuunand gette.
c1400 (?c1380) Pearl l. 561 Watz not a pené þy couenaunt þore?
1481 in J. T. Smith & L. T. Smith Eng. Gilds (1870) 316 Euery prentes that..trewly seruethe his cownand.
c1485 Digby Myst. iii. 1803 Lo, here is all þi connownt, allredy þou xall it have.
1561 T. Becon Sycke Mans Salve in Wks. II. 244 Look well unto thy servants. Give them their covenants, and suffer them not to be idle.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 57 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) Exacting of them (besides his Covenants) what he pleaseth.
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the mind > language > speech > agreement > security > [noun] > a pledge or security
warrantisea1300
surancec1300
borrow-gage1303
suretyc1330
wage1338
wed1340
again-behotera1382
hostagec1400
sickeringa1450
gage1486
soverty1488
vadimonyc1503
pledge1526
slauntiagh1535
band1596
mortgage1598
ward and warsela1600
covenant1644
guaranty1697
security1711
guaranteeship1715
cautionment1815
guarantee1832
1644 J. Milton Areopagitica 2 He who freely magnifies what hath been nobly done and fears not to declare as freely what might be done better gives ye the best cov'nant of his fidelity.
7.
a. Scripture. Applied esp. to an engagement entered into by the Divine Being with some other being or persons. [The Hebrew word bĕrīth is also the ordinary term for a contract, agreement, alliance, or league between men. It is constantly rendered in the Septuagint by διαθήκη ‘disposition, distribution, arrangement’, which occurs in Aristophanes in the sense ‘convention, arrangement between parties’, but usually in classical Greek meant ‘disposition by will, testament’. Accordingly, the Old Latin translation of the Bible (Itala) appears to have uniformly rendered διαθήκη by testamentum, while Jerome translated the Hebrew by foedus and pactum indifferently. Hence, in the Vulgate, the Old Testament has the old rendering testamentum in the (Gallican) Psalter, but Jerome's renderings foedus, pactum elsewhere; the New Testament has always testamentum. In English Wyclif strictly followed the Vulgate, rendering foedus, pactum, by boond, covenaunt, rather indiscriminately, testamentum in the Psalter and New Testament always by testament. So the versions of Rheims and Douay. The 16th cent. English versions at length used covenant entirely in Old Testament (including the Psalter), and Tyndale introduced it into 6 places in the New Testament. These the Geneva extended to 23, and the Bible of 1611 to 22 (in 2 of which Genesis had testament), leaving testament in 14 (in 3 of which Genesis had covenant). The Revised Version of 1881 has substituted covenant in 12 of these, leaving testament in 2 only (Hebrew ix. 16, 17).] Thus bĕrīth, διαθήκη, fœdus (pactum), covenant are applied to God's engagement with Noah and his posterity, Genesis vi. 18, ix. 9–17; to that made with Abraham and his posterity, Genesis xvii, of which the token was circumcision; to the institution of the Mosaic law, Exodus xxiv. 7, 8, and to that law or its observance itself, whence the expressions book of the covenant (i.e. of the law), ark of the covenant, blood of the covenant (i.e. of beasts ritually sacrificed), land of the covenant (= promised land, Canaan). The covenant with the Israelites, in its various phases, is commonly called the Old Covenant, in contrast to which the prophets made promise of a new covenant, Jeremiah xxxi. 31; and this name καινὴ διαθήκη (New Covenant or testament) was, according to St. Luke xxii. 20, applied by Jesus to the new relation to man which God had established in Him. In this sense it is also used by St. Paul and the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, who contrast these two covenants (Galatians iv. 24, Hebrew viii. 13, ix. 15, etc.), also called by commentators the Temporal and the Eternal Covenant (cf. Hebrew xiii. 20).]
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society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun]
witword?997
testamentc1315
promissiona1325
covenanta1382
New Testamentc1384
comenaunt1389
promise?a1425
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Jer. xxxi. 31 Y shal smyte to the hous of Irael and to the hous of Iuda newe pes couenaunt, not after the couenaunt that y couenauntede with ȝoure fadris [Heb. viii. 8, I schal ende a newe testament].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2667 Hald ȝee þe couenand o þis wi[s], Do your knauebarns to circumces.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 1975 A couenand neu ic hight to þe, þou sal fra now mi rainbow see.
1557 Bible (Whittingham) Heb. viii. 8 I shal make with the house of Israel and with the house of Iuda a new couenant [earlier versions testament].
1611 Bible (King James) Exod. xxxiv. 28 And he wrote vpon the Tables the words of the couenant, the ten Commandements. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Heb. viii. (heading) And the temporall Couenant with the Fathers [is abolished] by the eternal Couenant of the Gospel.
1611 Bible (King James) Heb. xii. 24 The mediatour of the new Couenant [margin testament] . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost xi. 892 And makes a Covenant never to destroy The Earth again by flood. View more context for this quotation
1779 W. Cowper in J. Newton & W. Cowper Olney Hymns i. xvii. 330 Oh how I love thy holy word, Thy gracious covenant, O Lord!
1818 J. Benson Bible w. Notes, Heb. xiii. 20 The everlasting covenant—viz. the covenant of grace, in its last dispensation, termed everlasting.
1881 Bible: Luke xxii. 20 This cup is the new covenant [margin. testament] in my blood.
b. Hence covenant is sometimes used = Dispensation.
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society > faith > aspects of faith > religion > a religion or church > [noun]
churcheOE
kirkc1175
spousea1200
lawa1225
lorea1225
religionc1325
faithc1384
sectc1386
seta1387
leara1400
hirselc1480
professiona1513
congregation1526
communion1553
schism1555
segregation1563
sex1583
hortus conclususa1631
confessiona1641
dispensation1643
sectary1651
churchship1675
cult1679
persuasion1732
denomination1746–7
connection1753
covenant1818
sectarism1821
organized religion1843
1818 J. Benson Bible w. Notes, Rom. iii. 28 The faith by which men, under the New Covenant, are justified.
1845 S. Austin tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Reformation in Germany III. 587 The doctrine, that it was allowable for a man now, as well as under the old covenant, to have several wives.
1867 A. P. Forbes Explan. 39 Art. (1881) vii. 118 Another important instance of the connection between the old and the new covenant is Prophecy.
c. The two divisions of the Scriptures, belonging to the Mosaic and Christian dispensations respectively, are sometimes called the Books of the Old and the New Covenant, instead of the usual form Old and New Testament (Greek παλαιὰ and καινὴ διαθήκη).
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society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > [noun]
testamenta1300
covenant1587
will1888
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xxxiv. 628 The Gospels, the Acts, and the Epistles, all which together we call the newe Couenant or the newe Testament.
1796 Newcome (title) An attempt towards revising our English Translation of the Greek Scriptures or the new Covenant of Jesus Christ.
d. (Greater) Book of the Covenant, Little Book of the Covenant: names given by Old Testament critics to certain portions of the Book of Exodus, viz. ch. xx. 22– xxiii, and ch. xxxiv. 11– 26 respectively.
8. Theology.
a. Covenant of Works, Covenant of Grace: the two relations which are represented as subsisting between God and man, before and since the Fall.The Covenant of Works (or of Life) was made with Adam for himself and his posterity upon condition of obedience; the Covenant of Grace (or of Redemption) with ‘the Second Adam’ and with his elect in him, for their deliverance from the misery and penalty into which they had fallen through transgression of the covenant of works. The theology of the covenants, or Federal Theology, was first elaborated by Koch or Cocceius (1603–1669); and attained great vogue in the 17th cent., esp. among the Puritans. It is prominently developed in the Westminster Confession of Faith, and its accompanying Catechisms.
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society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun] > of grace
Covenant of Gracea1640
society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun] > of works
Covenant of Worksa1640
work-covenant1892
a1640 J. Ball Treat. Covenant of Grace (1645) 8 The Covenant of workes, wherein God covenanteth with man to give him eternall life upon condition of perfect obedience in his own person. The Covenant of Grace, which God worketh with man promising eternal life upon condition of believing.
1643–7 Westm. Conf. Faith vii Of Gods Covenant with Man.
1647 Assembly's Larger Catech. A. xxxi The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed.
1647 Humble Advice Assembly of Divines conc. Shorter Catech. (new ed.) 8 When God had created Man, he entered into a Covenant of life with him, upon condition of perfect Obedience.
1656 Bp. J. Taylor Answer to Bp. of Rochester 105 Only the Covenant of works God did make with all men till Christ came; but he did never exact it after Adam.
1666 J. Bunyan Grace Abounding 351 Thus..was my Soul..tossed sometimes headlong into despair, sometimes upon the Covenant of Works.
1774 J. W. Fletcher Disc. in First Pt. Equal Check 34 An account of the two [grand] covenants, that God entered into with man.
1816 W. Scott Old Mortality viii, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. II. 181 Whilk Covenant is your honour meaning? Is it the Covenant of Works, or the Covenant of Grace?
b. Applied to the engagement with God which is entered into by believers at their baptism, or admission into the visible church.
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society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun] > entered into at baptism or on admission into church
covenant1552
church covenant1613
1552 Abp. J. Hamilton Catech. Tabil sig. *.vi The couenand or condition maid in baptyme.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lxiv. 154 Baptisme implyeth a couenant or league betweene God and man.
1634 J. Canne Necessitie of Separation iv. 200 Yet have they not anie more power to make them members of Gods Church (if they be not under the visible covenant).
1645 Directory Publique Worship 43 To improove and make the right use of their Baptisme; and of the Covenant sealed thereby betwixt God and their soules.
1786 J. Wesley Wks. (1872) IV. 325 That solemn service, the renewing of our covenant with God.
1821 W. Wordsworth Eccl. Sonn. iii. xxiii On each head His lawn-robed Servant lays An apostolic hand, and with prayer seals The Covenant.
1827 J. Keble Christian Year I. xliv. 176 The covenant of our second birth.
1891 T. Mozley Son xlviii. 306 Admitted to covenant with God, as in our Catechism all baptized persons are described as children of God.
9. Ecclesiastical.
a. Scottish History. The name given to certain bonds of agreement signed by the Scottish Presbyterians for the defence and furtherance of their religion and ecclesiastical polity.The National Covenant was signed at Edinburgh on 28 February 1638 for the defence of Presbyterianism against the Episcopal system that had been introduced by James I and Charles I. The Solemn League and Covenant was accepted by the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland on 17 August 1643, and by the Westminster Assembly of Divines, and English Parliament, on 25 September, as a league between England and Scotland on the basis of the establishment of Presbyterianism in both countries. It is to the latter especially that the name usually refers. It is sometimes given also to the Bonds subscribed at Edinburgh by the Lords of the Congregation and their followers on 3 December 1557, and at Perth on 31 May 1559, the object of which was the carrying out of the Protestant Reformation.
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society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun] > Scottish Presbyterian
covenant1638
1638 Duke of Hamilton in Hamilton Papers (1880) 11 If you uill not be content to admitt the Couenant to remaine, call a generall assemblie uher ye may expeckt the Bishopes to be limited.
1643 Solemn League & Covt. We Noblemen, Barons, Knights, Gentlemen, Citizens, Burgesses, Ministers of the Gospel and Commons of all sorts..after mature deliberation, resolv'd and determin'd to enter into a mutual and solemn League and Covenant.
1651 Coronation Oath in Form & Order Coronation Charles II 41 I Charles, King of great Britane, France and Ireland, doe assure and declare, by my Solemn Oath..my allowance and approbation of the Nationall Covenant, and of the Solemn League and Covenant.
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1643 (1955) II. 81 The Covenant being pressed, I absented my selfe.
1677 Bp. G. Burnet Mem. Dukes of Hamilton 367 The 17th of August, the day in which the Covenant was first made, which from thence some used to call Saint Covenant's Day.
a1684 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1661 (1955) III. 288 Was the Scotch-Covenant burnt by the common hangman in divers places of Lond: ô prodigious change!
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. III. liii. 139 The Earl of Argyle..had at last embraced the Covenant.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. 213 Lauderdale had been conspicuous among the Scotch insurgents of 1638, and zealous for the covenant.
Categories »
b. church covenant: see church n.1 and adj. Compounds 2.
Compounds
C1. Generalattributive.
a.
covenant ark n.
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1871 J. R. Macduff Memories of Patmos xii. 167 The covenant Ark..will rise buoyant on the waters.
covenant blessings n.
ΚΠ
1836 E. Osler in Palmer Bk. of Praise (1874) 299 A milder seal than Abraham found Of cov'nant blessings more Divine.
covenant charter n.
ΚΠ
1737 D. Waterland Rev. Doctr. Eucharist 104 The Covenant, or rather, the Covenant-Charter, was given soon after the Fall, to Mankind in general.
covenant engagement n.
ΚΠ
1681–6 J. Scott Christian Life (1747) III. 290 Unless we perform it upon a Covenant Engagement.
covenant mercies n.
covenant peace n.
ΚΠ
c1750 Wesley's Hymns (1831) Suppl. Hymns No. 748 And make the cov'nant peace mine own.
covenant pill n.
ΚΠ
1660 Hist. Chas. II 83 Those hard Covenant Pills which the Kirkmen made him swallow.
covenant right n.
ΚΠ
1705 G. Stanhope Paraphr. III. 413 A Covenant-right to the Promises of God.
covenant safety n.
ΚΠ
1871 J. R. Macduff Memories of Patmos xii. 168 Let us rejoice in this covenant safety.
covenant-servant n.
ΚΠ
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Luke f. 131 To liue as a couenaunt seruaunt with so ryche..an housholder.
b.
covenant-breaker n.
ΚΠ
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 108 Cumnawnte brekere, fidifragus.
1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) Rom. i. 31 Covenaunte breakers, vnlovinge, truce-breakers.
1646 P. Bulkley Gospel-covenant i. 48 He cannot be a covenant-breaker.
covenant-closure adj.
ΚΠ
1653 R. Baxter Right Method Settled Peace Ep. Ded. Your hearts in their Covenant-closure with Christ.
c.
covenant-breaking adj.
covenant-ensuring adj.
ΚΠ
1782 W. Cowper Hope in Poems 149 Bright as the covenant-insuring bow.
covenant-keeping adj.
ΚΠ
1685 J. Howe in H. Rogers Life ix. 231 To that blessed..and covenant-keeping God.
covenant-making adj.
ΚΠ
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 561 Sa fell off yis conand-making.
d.
covenant-wise adv.
ΚΠ
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 76 An union covenant-wise could never have been, except God had in a manner bowed to us.
C2. Special combinations.† covenant-head n. Theology Obsolete one who enters into a covenant as a representative of others.† covenant-man n. Obsolete a party to a covenant or contract; a covenanter.† covenant-penny n. Obsolete earnest-money.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [noun] > one included in
confederate1655
covenantee1692
covenant-head1758
1758 S. Hayward Seventeen Serm. 15 We did not commit it, but Adam; but it is so reckoned ours, upon our being included in him as our covenant-head.
1769 A. Cruden Compl. Concordance Holy Script. (ed. 3) at Covenant Elect sinners, on whom grace and glory were settled for ever in Christ, their covenant-head.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > [noun] > one who is involved in making
treater1489
covenant-man1540
obligatora1625
covenanter1643
covenantee1649
declarer1649
convener1650
tryster1655
contractor1724
conventionist1768
circumscriber1776
declarationist1892
1540 Will of John Smyth (P.R.O.: PROB. 11/28) f. 99 To euery of my Joreneymen & Covenaunt-men.
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1581 J. Dee 25 Mar. in Private Diary (1842) 11 Helen was hyred at our Lady day for the yere..she had her covenant peny.
Draft additions June 2015
covenant theology n. Theology (chiefly in Calvinist thought) theology organized around the overarching idea of a biblical covenant or covenants between God and human beings, esp. the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace (see sense 8a); cf. federal theology n. at federal adj. and n. Compounds.
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1835 W. Wright tr. G. F. Seiler Biblical Hermeneutics Pref. 11 He [sc. John Koch] and his coadjutors fell into the mystical and allegorical method of interpretation, and his system of Covenant-theology misled him to the adoption of many false notions.
1950 G. E. Wright Old Test. against its Environm. ii. 62 Deuteronomy with its lucid expression of the covenant theology can no longer be viewed as a pious forgery of the seventh century.
1967 New Eng. Q. 40 101 The attacks..upon ‘the legal scheme’ of the subscriptionists and the covenant theology were essentially stimulated by a pietistic fear.
2000 C. Shröder in A. Hastings et al. Oxf. Compan. Christian Thought 193/2 His emphasis on the asymmetry and immediacy of the relationship between God and the human being was puzzling to an audience accustomed to the mediating arrangements of covenant theology.
Draft additions March 2006
covenant marriage n. U.S. a marriage based on one of several types of voluntary pre-nuptial contract (differing from state to state, and only available in some), which typically has provisions making divorce difficult, and often requires pre-marital counselling.
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society > society and the community > kinship or relationship > marriage or wedlock > a marriage > [noun] > other types
Westminster wedding1660
customary marriage1871
hierogamy1882
companionate1924
companionate marriage1925
customary union1927
plaçage1937
gay marriage1957
open marriage1972
covenant marriage1990
1990 Orlando Sentinel 17 Mar. a7/1 The..proposal would allow men and women who have signed an agreement and engaged in pre-marital counseling to enter into lifetime ‘covenant marriages’. They could not get divorced unless one of the spouses committed adultery.
2000 P. A. Cain Rainbow Rights viii. 245 Louisiana has recently enacted a covenant marriage law as an alternative to the existing law, and other states, including Iowa, are considering such statutes.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
† covenantadj.1
Obsolete.
= covenanted adj.
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society > law > legal obligation > contract > [adjective] > contracted
covenantc1330
contracted1589
covenanted1651
c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 474 As it was couenaunt bitven ous tvo.
1583 P. Stubbes Second Pt. Anat. Abuses sig. M1v Hauing his monie that was couenant, is hee not bound..to teach them.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
† covenantadj.2
Obsolete. rare.
= covenable adj. 4.
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the mind > attention and judgement > beauty > pleasing appearance > [adjective] > specifically of persons
faireOE
seemlya1225
featous1340
jolly?a1366
tretis?a1366
comelya1375
covenablea1375
well-beseenc1374
favourablea1398
farrandc1400
personable?1435
well-favoureda1438
covenantc1440
likelyc1450
trety?c1450
tret1488
decore?a1513
jimp?a1513
wally?a1513
smotter?1520
snout-fair1530
well-looking1613
comely-looking1648
personal1658
comely-looked1664
winsome1677
tidy1714
good-looking1715
well to be seen1809
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > [adjective] > well-mannered > versed in suitable behaviour
covenablea1375
covenantc1440
c1440 Bone Flor. 945 Let him goo, He semyth covenawnt and trewe.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online March 2021).
covenantv.
/ˈkʌvɪnənt/ 1. c1394 P. Pl. Crede 38 A Carm me haþ y-couenaunt þe Crede me to teche.1555 R. Eden tr. Peter Martyr of Angleria Decades of Newe Worlde iii. x. f. 140v They couenaunted with hym to paye yearely..a hundreth pounde weyghte of perles.1645 Directory Publique Worship 63 I N. doe take thee N. to be my married wife, and doe..promise and covenant to be a loving and faithfull husband unto thee.1654 J. Bramhall Just Vindic. Church of Eng. vii. 182 The King of the Romans and Electors did covenant mutually to assist and defend one another.1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 120 I had covenanted at Montreal to give him a new hat with a silver button and loop.1819 T. Arnold Let. 20 Nov. in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr T. Arnold (1844) I. ii. 55 Did you not covenant to write to me first?1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. 552 An agreement by which the Company had covenanted to furnish a person named Colston with two hundred tons of saltpetre.
a. intransitive. To enter into a covenant or formal agreement; to agree formally or solemnly; to contract.
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the mind > language > speech > agreement > promise > promise, vow, or pledge [verb (intransitive)] > enter into or pledge oneself
covenantc1440
bind1488
undertake1572
engage1604
pre-engage1652
subscribe1680
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 108 Cumnawntyn, or make a cumnawnte, convenio, pango.
1536 MS BL Add. 9835 in F. Thynne Animaduersions (1875) p. xxviii John Wylkynson..hathe convenanted and bargayned with Edmunde Pekham.
a1599 E. Spenser View State Ireland 57 in J. Ware Two Hist. Ireland (1633) The reason why the Land-lord will no longer covenant with him.
1611 Bible (King James) Matt. xxvi. 15 They couenanted with him for thirtie pieces of siluer. View more context for this quotation
1665 T. Manley tr. H. Grotius De Rebus Belgicis 666 They had jointly Covenanted against Foreign Dominion and Tyranny.
1765 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. I. 562 A man cannot grant any thing to his wife, or enter into covenant with her: for..to covenant with her, would be only to covenant with himself.
1843 T. Carlyle Past & Present iii. ii. 198 Did I not pay them..the sum covenanted for?
b. with infinitive or clause, expressing purpose or purport.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > agreement > make an agreement [verb (intransitive)]
accord?a1160
to make (a) finec1325
covenantc1330
compound1419
packc1450
patisec1475
conclude1477
compone1478
bargain1483
article1526
make1530
compact1535
to dispense with1569
temporize1579
to make termsa1599
to strike (a person) luck1599
to be compromised1600
compacka1618
stipulatea1648
to come to terms1657
sort1685
paction1725
to cry off1775
pact1904
society > law > legal obligation > contract > enter into or make contract [verb (intransitive)]
covenantc1330
contract1530
c1330 (?a1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) p. 474 As it was couenaunt bitven ous tvo.
2. transitive. To agree or subscribe to by covenant; to agree formally to give or do (something).
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal obligation > contract > agree to by contract [verb (transitive)]
covenant1382
covenancea1450
indent1487
contract1548
1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) Exod. xxxiv. 27 Thes wordes with which I haue couenauntide a boond of pees.
c1500 Melusine (1895) 155 Ye conuenaunted with me a yefte whiche I purpose now to take.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Chron. (1812) I. ccccxlix. 794 These maryages were sworne and couenaunted.
1530 J. Palsgrave Lesclarcissement 503 s.v. That that I comnaunt with you shall be parfourmed.
1670 J. Milton Hist. Brit. i. 24 The Tribute Covnanted to Belinus for his enlargement.
1850 G. Grote Hist. Greece VIII. ii. lxii. 33 Nothing is covenanted as to any remainder.
1861 C. H. Pearson Early & Middle Ages Eng. 179 She refused to pay the witch who had assisted her the sum covenanted.
3. To make it a condition or clause of an agreement, to stipulate. (with object clause.)
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > qualification > modify, qualify [verb (transitive)] > stipulate for
reserve1399
provide1423
patise1542
condition1549
covenant1577
stipule1623
stipulate1685
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 153v The olde husbandes in hyring of a shepheard, did alwayes couenant among others, that he should be sound of body and limme.
a1593 C. Marlowe Massacre at Paris (c1600) sig. B4v With Poland therefore must I couenant thus, That if, [etc.].
1700 W. Congreve Way of World iv. i. 58 Imprimis then, I Covenant that your acquaintance be General..Item, I Article, that you continue to like your own Face, as long as I shall.
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society > faith > worship > vow > covenant > [verb (intransitive)] > take Scottish Presbyterian covenant
covenant1661
1661 R. L'Estrange Interest Mistaken 25 Reverend Divines reduced to begge their Bread, because they would not Covenant.
ΚΠ
1661 Mercurius Caledonius 1 Mar. That laudable custom of suppers, which was covenanted out..is again in fashion.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1893; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1297
adj.1c1330adj.2c1440
v.c1330