What does adjure mean?
To adjure is to urge or command someone with solemnity and urgency, often as though binding them by an oath. The verb belongs to formal, literary English and typically appears in contexts of grave consequence — a judge adjuring a witness to tell the truth, a monarch adjuring an heir to uphold the law, or a speaker adjuring an audience to remember something vital. It derives from the Latin adjurare, meaning to swear to or conjure by oath, formed from ad- ('to') and jurare ('to swear'), the same root that gives us jury, perjury, and abjure. Because of its oath-bound origins, adjure carries a stronger force than ordinary requests such as ask or beg: it implies moral compulsion and seriousness of intent. Related forms include the noun adjuration, meaning a solemn urging or oath-like appeal, and the adjective adjuratory. Though uncommon in casual conversation, it remains a precise and powerful choice when a writer wants to convey that words are being spoken under a weight of obligation.
verbTo urge or request someone solemnly or earnestly to do something; to command someone as if under oath.
- To urge or request someone earnestly and solemnly to do something.
- To command someone as if under oath, invoking a binding authority.
"The dying king adjured his son to protect the realm at any cost."
"The witness was adjured to tell the whole truth before the court."
"She adjured her brother never to reveal the family secret."
When you adjure someone, you're not just asking — you're swearing at them in Latin, since the word literally means 'to bind by oath.'
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of adjure
Adjure comes from the Latin adjurare, meaning 'to swear to' or 'to bind by an oath,' formed from ad- ('to, toward') plus jurare ('to swear'), itself rooted in jus, iuris ('law'). It entered English in the late Middle Ages through ecclesiastical and legal usage, where solemn appeals were made as if under oath. The word shares its root with a notable family of oath-related terms, including abjure (to renounce upon oath), conjure (to swear together, later to invoke), perjury (false swearing), and jury — all testifying to the deep connection between swearing oaths and law in Roman tradition.
Related word forms
How adjure is actually used
Formal and literary in register; rare in everyday speech. Often appears in legal, religious, or dramatic contexts, frequently in the construction 'I adjure you to...'. Carries a connotation of gravity and moral weight rather than mere politeness.
Easily confused with adjure
Abjure means to formally renounce or reject a belief or claim, while adjure means to solemnly urge or command someone to do something.