Tudor & Stuart · oath · interjection (phrase)
by Jove
by JOHV /d͡ʒəʊv/ (UK), /d͡ʒoʊv/ (US) for 'Jove'pronunciation given by a dictionary
First recorded1575
An exclamation of surprise or emphasis. Originally a real oath by Jove (Jupiter, chief of the Roman gods); it then served as a safe stand-in for 'by God', and became a stock phrase of the Victorian and Edwardian English gentleman.
Where it was first recorded
First recorded date 1575 per Merriam-Webster; Wiktionary's earliest quotation is the play Apius and Virginia (1575)
Also spelled: by jove
Related: compare the parallel oath 'by Jupiter'
In its own time
By Jove, I always took three threes for nine.
Today
Modern exampleBy Jove, you've actually fixed the printer!
Fine to use today; it sounds jolly, British and old-fashioned, often humorous.
Questions
What does by jove mean?
An exclamation of surprise or emphasis. Originally a real oath by Jove (Jupiter, chief of the Roman gods); it then served as a safe stand-in for 'by God', and became a stock phrase of the Victorian and Edwardian English gentleman.
When was by jove first used?
It is first recorded 1575 — first recorded date 1575 per Merriam-Webster; Wiktionary's earliest quotation is the play Apius and Virginia (1575).
Can you still use by jove today?
Fine to use today; it sounds jolly, British and old-fashioned, often humorous.
Sources
- by Jove — Merriam-Webster
- by Jove — Wiktionary
- Jove — Online Etymology Dictionary
- Jove — Wiktionary
- Love's Labour's Lost (full text) — The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, MIT
Checked 2026-09-30 · verdict: attested — found in the dictionaries and texts listed above