com·mit  (k ə-m ĭt )
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v. com·mit·ted, com·mit·ting, com·mits v.tr.1. To do, perform, or perpetrate: commit a murder. 2. To put in trust or charge; entrust: commit oneself to the care of a doctor; commit responsibilities to an assistant. 3. To consign for future use or for preservation: We must commit the necessary funds for the project. 4. To place officially in confinement or custody, as in a mental health facility. 5. To put into a place to be disposed of or kept safe: committed the manuscript to the flames. 6. a. To make known the views of (oneself) on an issue: I never commit myself on such issues. b. To bind, obligate, or devote, as by a pledge: They were committed to follow orders. She committed herself to her art. 7. To refer (a legislative bill, for example) to a committee. v.intr. To pledge, obligate, or devote one's own self: felt that he was too young to commit fully to marriage.
[Middle English committen, from Latin committere : com-, com- + mittere, to send.]
com·mitta·ble adj. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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