ex voto

¹

[ eks woh-toh; English eks voh-toh ]

adjective

, Latin.

1. from, or in pursuance of, a vow.

ex-voto

²

[ eks-voh-toh ]

noun

, plural ex-vo·tos.

1. a painting or other object left as an offering in fulfillment of a vow or in gratitude, as for recovery from an illness or injury.

ex voto

/ ɛks ˈvəʊtəʊ /

adverb

1. in accordance with a vow

noun

1. an offering made in fulfilment of a vow

Word History and Origins

Origin of ex voto¹

First recorded in 1815–25

Origin of ex voto²

First recorded in 1815–25; from Latin ex vōtō literally, “out of a vow”; ex- ¹( def ), vow

Example Sentences

On one wall hangs contemporary Italian photography and on another ex-voto pieces.

From Washington Post

The British artist Pauline Boty’s 1960-61 untitled collage in the show, with its gilt paint and sequins amid clipped newspaper pictures, looks defiantly handmade, like an ex-voto, with neither American Pop slickness nor the brashness of more rough-hewed Americans like Robert Rauschenberg.

From New York Times

The exhibition is a collaboration between the Lucio Fontana Foundation in Milan and the Yves Klein Archives in Paris, and includes a 1951 neon work by Fontana as well as Klein’s 1961 ‘‘Ex-Voto dedicated to Saint Rita of Cascia,’’ which was inspired by a pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Cascia in Italy.

From New York Times

Maria della Pace, built in 1487, by Baccio Pintelli, to fulfil a curious ex-voto made by Sixtus IV.

From Project Gutenberg

Esculape, sous la forme d'un serpent, fut transport� d'Epidaure dans l'�le Tib�rine, o� on lui �leva un temple, et o� ont �t� trouv�s des ex-voto, repr�sentant des bras, des jambes, diverses autres parties du corps humain, ex-votos qu'on e�t pu croire provenir d'une �glise de Rome, car le catholicisme romain a adopt� cet usage pa�en sans y rien changer.

From Project Gutenberg