Commits

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /kəˈmɪts/

Definitions

1. Performs or carries out an action, often something deliberate or official ; pledges or binds oneself to a course of action or responsibility
2. Carries through an act or task with intention ; makes a firm decision to follow a certain course or responsibility
3. Executes an act or applies oneself to a duty ; vows to uphold or engage in a particular commitment

Etymology: "Commits" is the third-person singular form of "commit", so the history belongs to the verb itself. Its core idea is literally "sending together." The Latin "committere" joined "com-" ("together") to "mittere" ("to send"), and that same "mittere" gave English "mission" and "message." Latin speakers used "committere" for a remarkable range of acts: bringing things together, joining in battle, entrusting something to someone's care, and committing a wrong. The word reached English through Middle English "committen," which carried those senses forward. Over time, the idea of handing something over to another's keeping faded into the sense of giving oneself over to a course of action. A person who commits to a cause sends their energy and loyalty toward it, which is why the modern sense of promising or applying oneself grew out of the older notion of entrusting and delivering.

Synonyms: dedicates, entrusts, pledges, devotes, binds

Antonyms: withdraws, relinquishes, rescinds, disavows, cancels