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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Adjure

Adjure \Ad*jure"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Adjured; p. pr. & vb. n. Adjuring]. [L. adjurare, adjurdium, to swear to; later, to adjure: cf. F. adjurer. See Jury.] To charge, bind, or command, solemnly, as if under oath, or under the penalty of a curse; to appeal to in the most solemn or impressive manner; to entreat earnestly.

Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed be the man before the Lord, that riseth up and buildeth this city Jericho.
--Josh. vi. 26.

The high priest . . . said . . . I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ.
--Matt. xxvi. 63.

The commissioners adjured them not to let pass so favorable an opportunity of securing their liberties.
--Marshall.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
adjure

late 14c., "to bind by oath; to question under oath," from Latin adiurare "confirm by oath, add an oath, to swear to in addition," in Late Latin "to put (someone) to an oath," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + iurare "swear," from ius (genitive iuris) "law" (see jurist). Related: Adjured; adjuring.

Wiktionary
adjure

vb. 1 To issue a formal command, especially in a legal context. 2 To earnestly appeal or advise.

WordNet
adjure
  1. v. ask for or request earnestly; "The prophet bid all people to become good persons" [syn: bid, beseech, entreat, press, conjure]

  2. command solemnly

Usage examples of "adjure".

Ah, if one consulted humanistic pedagogy, how humanistic pedagogy would adjure him to take the hand and accept the offered guidance!

Thus adjured the melancholy-looking captain, who was named Indudu, perhaps because he or his father had longed to the Dudu regiment, crawled into the hut, whence presently emerged sounds not unlike those which once I heard when a ringhals cobra followed a hare that I had wounded into a hole, a muffled sound of struggling and terror.

And in thy wifehood, I adjure thee now As mother, by the love thou bearest our child, In this thy hour of passion and of love, Of sacrifice and sorrow, to unsay Thy words sublime!

It smote the bishops who had executed the royal plans, widowed the newly wed sister of the queen, and adjured the Count of Vermandois to return to his lawful wife on pain of excommunication and interdict on all his lands.

Thus adjured, the old man peered up at Theos inquisitively, wiping away the tears that coughing had brought into his eyes, and after a minute or two began also to laugh in a smothered, chuckling way,--a laugh that resembled the croaking of frogs in a marshy pool.

Knapp allowed him to step into the room, but adjured him, still in an undervoice, not to stir from the door, or to make the least sound, until he was bid.

Martin, who had adjured Abney to keep the table free for him, was very soon regretting what had seemed at the time to be a piece of good strategy.

Cass adjured each one of his party by name, even the children, even the still-unconscious Lionel, making an oath of nonintervention on their behalf.

And having himself now wasted half an hour in vain argument, he adjured them all to stop hanging about and get a move on with their precious demonstration or the Odysseans would be back and the place cluttered up with people before they had even begun.

Thus adjured, Topsy confessed to the ribbon and gloves, with woful protestations of penitence.

I adjure you to be prudent, but if you should punt and win, recollect that you are only an idiot if at the end you lose.

And in thy wifehood, I adjure thee now As mother, by the love thou bearest our child, In this thy hour of passion and of love, Of sacrifice and sorrow, to unsay Thy words sublime!

Metropolitan sent Hadjisavas to Athens with letters in which he adjured the Greek brethren to send ships and save the Christian Cretans from the knives that had already been drawn by the Turks.

The Metropolitan sent Hadjisavas to Athens with letters in which he adjured the Greek brethren to send ships and save the Christian Cretans from the knives that had already been drawn by the Turks.

Barre began his exorcisms once more, covering the cat with signs of the cross, and adjuring the devil to take his true shape.