Meanings
nouncovenant (plural covenants)
plural covenants · alternative covenaunt
- lawAn agreement to do or not do a particular thing.
- An incidental clause in an agreement.
verbcovenant (third-person singular simple present covenants, present participle covenanting, simple past and past participle covenanted)
present singular third person covenants · participle present covenanting · participle past covenanted · past covenanted · alternative covenaunt
- To enter into, or promise something by, a covenant.
and they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Matthew 26:151 more example
Jupiter Covenanted with him, that it should be Hot or Cold, Wet or Dry, […] as the Tenant should Direct.
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 - lawTo make a stipulation.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna signed written agreement between two or more parties (nations) to perform some action
Broader
written agreement
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinconveniēns, convenientem“agreeing, agreeable, suitable, convenient”
- Old Frenchcovenant“agreement”
- Middle Englishcovenaunt
- Englishcovenant
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.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σύνθημα, διαθήκη
- σύνθημα (súnthēma)agreement to do or not to do
- διαθήκη (diathḗkē)binding agreement
Arabic مِيثَاق, عَهْد
- مِيثَاق (mīṯāq)binding agreement
- عَهْد (ʕahd)binding agreement
Bulgarian договор, спогодба
- договор (dogovor)binding agreement
- спогодба (spogodba)incidental clause
- споразумявам се (sporazumjavam se)to enter into a covenant
- договарям се (dogovarjam se)to enter into a covenant
Czech smlouva, dohoda
- smlouvaagreement to do or not to do
- dohodaagreement to do or not to do
- úmluvaagreement to do or not to do
- dohodabinding agreement
- paktbinding agreement
- zavázat seto enter into a covenant
- uzavřít dohoduto enter into a covenant
- uzavřít dohoduto enter a formal agreement
- uzavírat dohoduto enter a formal agreement
Danish pagt
- pagtbinding agreement
Dutch verbond
- verbondbinding agreement
Finnish sopimus, sitoumus
- sopimusagreement to do or not to do
- sitoumuspromise incidental to a deed or contract
- sitoumusbinding agreement
- ehtoincidental clause
- sopimusehtoincidental clause
- sitoutuato enter into a covenant
- sitoutuato enter a formal agreement
French accord, pacte
- accordagreement to do or not to do
- pactebinding agreement
- conventionbinding agreement
- alliancebinding agreement
- clauseincidental clause
German Übereinkommen, Bund
- Übereinkommenagreement to do or not to do
- Bundbinding agreement
- Paktbinding agreement
- Zusageincidental clause
Greek συμφωνία, σύμφωνο
- συμφωνία (symfonía)binding agreement
- σύμφωνο (sýmfono)binding agreement
- συνθήκη (synthíki)binding agreement
- σύμβαση (sýmvasi)binding agreement
Hebrew ברית
- ברית (brit)binding agreement
Indonesian perjanjian
- perjanjianbinding agreement
Italian accordo, patto
- accordoagreement to do or not to do
- pattobinding agreement
- accordobinding agreement
- contrattobinding agreement
- convenzionebinding agreement
- alleanzabinding agreement
- clausola accessoriaincidental clause
- clausola secondariaincidental clause
- accordarsito enter into a covenant
- impegnarsito enter into a covenant
- convenzionarsito enter into a covenant
- allearsito enter into a covenant
- stipulareto enter a formal agreement
- convenireto enter a formal agreement
- sottoscrivereto enter a formal agreement
- contrarreto enter a formal agreement
Japanese 誓約, 特約
- 誓約 (seiyaku)binding agreement
- 特約 (tokuyaku)incidental clause
- 約束する (yakusokusuru)to enter into a covenant
- 契約する (keiyakusuru)to enter a formal agreement
Latin pactiō
- pactiōbinding agreement
Māori kawenata, kawenata
- kawenataagreement to do or not to do
- kawenatapromise incidental to a deed or contract
- kawenatabinding agreement
- kawenataincidental clause
Polish ugoda, umowa
- ugodabinding agreement
- umowabinding agreement
- umówić sięto enter into a covenant
- zawrzeć umowęto enter a formal agreement
Portuguese pacto, contrato
- pactobinding agreement
- contratobinding agreement
- promessabinding agreement
Romanian legământ
- legământbinding agreement
Russian договорённость, догово́р
- договорённость (dogovorjónnostʹ)agreement to do or not to do
- догово́р (dogovór)binding agreement
- заключа́ть соглаше́ние (zaključátʹ soglašénije)to enter a formal agreement
Scottish Gaelic cùmhnant
- cùmhnantbinding agreement
Slovak pakt, zmluva
- paktbinding agreement
- zmluvabinding agreement
- dohodabinding agreement
Spanish convenio, acuerdo
- convenioagreement to do or not to do
- acuerdoagreement to do or not to do
- pactoagreement to do or not to do
- conveniobinding agreement
- contratobinding agreement
- alianzabinding agreement
- pactobinding agreement
- cláusulaincidental clause
Swedish förbindelse, pakt
- förbindelsepromise incidental to a deed or contract
- paktbinding agreement
- överenskommelsebinding agreement
- förbundbinding agreement
- avtalbinding agreement
- avtalato enter into a covenant
- avtalato enter a formal agreement
Tamil உடன்படிக்கை
- உடன்படிக்கை (uṭaṉpaṭikkai)binding agreement
Welsh cyfamod, cyfamod
- cyfamodagreement to do or not to do
- cyfamodbinding agreement
- cyfamodito enter into a covenant
- cyfamodito enter a formal agreement
- cytunoto enter a formal agreement
Cite this entry
APA
covenant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covenant
MLA
“covenant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covenant. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “covenant,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/covenant.
Source: covenant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.