oath, ooth, oth, othe

[A. S. adh; cogn. with Dut. eed; Icel. eidhr; Dan. & Sw.ed; Goth. aiths; Ger. eid; O. H. Ger. eit; O. Ir. oeth.] 1. A solemn affirmation or declaration made with an appeal to God for the truth of what is affirmed. By the appeal to the Supreme Being, the person making oath is understood to invoke His vengeance if that which is affirmed or declared is false; or, in case of a promi ory oath, if the promise or obliga tion is willfully broken. Oaths are of two kinds: (1) A ertory oaths, or those oaths by which the truth of a statement is affirmed: as an oath sworn to the truth of an affidavit; (2) promi ory oaths, or those oaths by which something is promised, or an obligation is a umed: as, the oaths of witne es; the oath of allegiance, by which the person taking the oath promises allegiance (q. v.) to the govern ment. Modern legislation has also provided par ticular forms of oaths, having permitted affirm a tions to be made by persons who have conscientious objections to take an oath. Witne es are allowed to swear to the truth of their evidence in any way which is binding upon their consciences. "But whatever be the form of an oath , the signification is the same."- Paley : Moral Philosophy , bk. iii., ch. xvi. 2. A carele and blasphemous use of the name of the Divine Being, or of anything divine or sacred, either by way of appeal or imprecation, or as a profane exclamation or ejaculation. * Ex officio oath : Old Eng . Law : An oath whereby any person was obliged to make any presentment of any crime or offense, or to confe or accuse himself or herself of any criminal matter or thing, whereby he or she might be liable to any censure, penalty, or punishment whatsoever. ( Shipley .) *ōath'-a-ble, a [Eng. oath ; -able .] Capable of having an oath administered; qualified to take an oath. "You're not oathable ." --Shakesp.: Timon, iv. 3. ôath-break-ing, s. [Eng. oath , and breaking .] The breaking or violation of an oath; perjury. "His oath breaking he mended thus, By now forswearing that he is forsworn." Shakesp.: Henry IV ., Pt. I., v. 2. *õath'-rite, s . [Eng. oath , and rite .] The ceremony or form used in the taking of an oath. ōat-mâlt, s. [Eng. oat , and malt .) Malt made of oats. "In Kent they brew with one half oatmalt , and the other half barley malt."-Mortimer: Husbandry. 2880 Õ-ba-di-ah, s. [Heb. Obhadhyahu , and Oba dhyah =servant of God; ebed =a servant, and yah = Jehovah; Gr. Abdias , Obdias .] 1. Script. Biog.: The names of various persons mentioned in the Old Testament (1 Kings xviii. 3; 1 Chron. iii. 21, vii. 3, viii. 38, ix. 16, 44, xii. 9, xxvii. 19; 2 Chron. xvii. 7, xxxiv. 12; Ezra viii. 9; Neh. x. 5; Obadiah i. 1). Nothing is known of the history of the last-named prophet. He is not the same as the Obadiah of 1 Kings xviii. 3-7, or of 2 Chron. xvii. 7. 2. Old Test. Canon: The fourth of the minor prophetic books. It contains only one chapter of twenty-one verses, denouncing vengeance against the Edomites for their unbrotherly conduct, when, the occasion of the capture of Jerusalem heathen foe, they helped to plunder that capital, besides cutting off fugitive Jews and surrendering refugees (10-14). Prophecy is then made of the future glory in store for the Jews (17-21). If, as is probable, the capture of Jerusalem referred to was that by Nebuchadnezzar, then the book was written after the year B. C. 588. It is related to Jeremiah xlix. 7-22. (Cf. specially Obadiah 1-6, 8, 16, with Jer. xlix. 14, 15, 16, 9, 10, 7, 12. Which is the original has not been decided: Obadiah 1, 19, 21, is the same in theme as Amosix 11, which may po ibly explain why Obadiah immediately follows Amos in the Bible. *ob-am-bu-lāte, v. i . [Latin obambulatum , supine of obambulo , from ob- = about, and ambulo = to walk.] To walk about. "They do not obambulate and wander up and down." Adams: Works , iii. 148. *ob-ăm-bu-lā-tion, s. [Lat. obambulatio , from obambulo to walk about.] A walking about; a continued or repeated walking. ō-băn, s . [Japanese.] The principal gold coin of Japan, value about $2.50. *õ-bar-ně, *o-bar'-ni, s . [Etym. doubtful.] A kind of drink (?).