covenant

English

Alternative forms

• covenaunt (obsolete)

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʌv.ən.ənt/, /ˈkʌv.nənt/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ʌvənənt, -ʌvnənt

Noun

covenant (plural covenants)

1. (law) An agreement to do or not do a particular thing.
2. (law) A promise, incidental to a deed or contract, either express or implied.
3. A pact or binding agreement between two or more parties.
4. An incidental clause in an agreement.

Synonyms

• Thesaurus:pact
• Thesaurus:agreement

Derived terms

• Ark of the Covenant
• biblical covenant
• covenantal
• Covenantal nomism
• Covenanter
• covenanter
• covenantism
• covenantist
• covenant-lite
• Covenant marriage
• covenant of grace
• covenant of salt
• covenant of title
• covenant of warranty
• covenantor
• Covenant theology
• discovenant
• exclusionary covenants
• halfway covenant
• Mosaic covenant
• Mosaic covenant
• New Covenant
• New Covenant theology
• Old Covenant
• personal covenant
• real covenant
• religious covenant
• restrictive covenant
• suit covenant

 

Translations

agreement to do or not to do

• Czech: smlouva (cs) f, dohoda (cs) f, úmluva f
• Finnish: sopimus (fi)
• French: accord (fr) m
• Galician: acordo (gl) m
• Gothic: 𐍄𐍂𐌹𐌲𐌲𐍅𐌰 f (triggwa)
• Italian: accordo (it) m
• Maori: kawenata
• Russian: договорённость (ru) f (dogovorjónnostʹ)
• Spanish: convenio (es) m, acuerdo (es) m, pacto (es) m
• Welsh: cyfamod m

promise incidental to a deed or contract

• Finnish: sitoumus (fi)
• Maori: kawenata
• Swedish: förbindelse (sv) c

binding agreement

• Arabic: مِيثَاق m (mīṯāq), عَهْد m (ʕahd)
• Armenian: ուխտ (hy) (uxt)
• Bulgarian: договор (bg) m (dogovor)
• Czech: dohoda (cs) f, pakt (cs) m
• Danish: pagt
• Dutch: verbond (nl) n
• Finnish: sitoumus (fi)
• French: pacte (fr) m, convention (fr) f, alliance (fr) f
• Galician: avinza (gl) f, convenio (gl) m, pacto (gl) m
• German: Bund (de) m
• Greek: συμφωνία (el) f (symfonía), σύμφωνο (el) n (sýmfono), συνθήκη (el) f (synthíki), σύμβαση (el) f (sýmvasi)

  Ancient: διαθήκη (diathḗkē)

• Hebrew: ברית (he) f (brit)
• Indonesian: perjanjian (id)
• Italian: patto (it) m, accordo (it), contratto (it) m, convenzione (it) f, alleanza (it) f
• Japanese: 誓約 (ja) (seiyaku)
• Latin: pactiō f
• Maori: kawenata
• Plautdietsch: Bunt n
• Polish: ugoda (pl) f, umowa (pl) f
• Portuguese: pacto (pt) m, contrato (pt) m, promessa (pt) f
• Romanian: legământ (ro)
• Russian: догово́р (ru) m (dogovór)
• Scottish Gaelic: cùmhnant m
• Slovak: pakt m, zmluva f, dohoda (sk) f
• Spanish: convenio (es) m, contrato (es) m, alianza (es) f, pacto (es) m
• Swedish: pakt (sv) c, överenskommelse (sv) c, förbund (sv) n, avtal (sv) n
• Welsh: cyfamod m

incidental clause

• Bulgarian: спогодба (bg) f (spogodba)
• Finnish: ehto (fi), sopimusehto
• French: clause (fr) f
• German: Zusage (de)
• Italian: clausola accessoria f, clausola secondaria f
• Japanese: 特約 (ja) (tokuyaku)
• Maori: kawenata
• Spanish: cláusula (es) f

Verb

covenant (third-person singular simple present covenants, present participle covenanting, simple past and past participle covenanted)

1. To enter into, or promise something by, a covenant.
   • 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:

     Jupiter Covenanted with him, that it should be Hot or Cold, Wet or Dry, […] as the Tenant should Direct.

   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 26:15:

     and they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver

2. (law) To enter a formal agreement.
3. (law) To bind oneself in contract.
4. (law) To make a stipulation.

Related terms

• convenience
• convenient
• convene
• convent
• convention
• convenable
• covenantee

Translations

to enter into a covenant

• Bulgarian: споразумявам се (sporazumjavam se), договарям се (dogovarjam se)
• Czech: zavázat se pf, uzavřít dohodu pf
• Finnish: sitoutua (fi)
• Italian: accordarsi (it), impegnarsi (it), convenzionarsi, allearsi (it)
• Japanese: 約束する (yakusokusuru)
• Polish: umówić się (pl)
• Swedish: avtala (sv)
• Welsh: cyfamodi

to enter a formal agreement

• Czech: uzavřít dohodu pf, uzavírat dohodu impf
• Finnish: sitoutua (fi)
• Italian: stipulare (it), convenire (it), sottoscrivere, contrarre (it)
• Japanese: 契約する (keiyakusuru)
• Polish: zawrzeć umowę
• Russian: заключа́ть соглаше́ние (zaključátʹ soglašénije)
• Swedish: avtala (sv)
• Welsh: cyfamodi, cytuno (cy)

Further reading

• “covenant”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.
• “covenant”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911, →OCLC.
• “covenant”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.
• Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “covenant”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin conveniēns, conveniēntem (“agreeing, agreeable, suitable, convenient”), present participle of conveniō (“to agree”).

Verb

covenant

1. present participle of covenir

Noun

covenant oblique singular, m (oblique plural covenanz or covenantz, nominative singular covenanz or covenantz, nominative plural covenant)

1. covenant
   • c. 1150, Thomas d'Angleterre, Le Roman de Tristan, Champion Classiques edition, →ISBN, page 220, line 2895:

     Del convenant vus deit membrer

     You must remember the convenant

Descendants

• English: covenant
• French: convenant