by Jove

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by Jove

Where it comes from

From Latin pro Iovem. Ellipsis of a full oath of the form "I swear by Jove that…" Originally a literal oath; later a minced oath.

interjection

obsolete Invocation of the Roman god Jupiter. By Jove, master marchant, by sea or by land / Would get but smale argent if I did not stand / His very good master, I may say to you, / When he hazards in hope what hap will insue.
British, dated minced oath for by God, Jove referring to Jupiter. By Jove, I always took three threes for nine.
Similar: wow

Translations

Every language

intj exclamation indicating surprise or emphasis

Français	par Jupin, parbleu
Deutsch	bei Jupiter, potztausend, potzblitz, potz Blitz
Italiano	per Giove

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Cite this

MLA

"by Jove." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/by%20jove. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

by Jove. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/by%20jove

Chicago

"by Jove." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/by%20jove.

BibTeX

@misc{by_jove_2026,
  title = {by Jove},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/by%20jove},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}