COMMIT, Literally, to send to or upon to throw, put or lay upon. Hence,
1. To give in trust to put into the hands or power of another to entrust with to.
Commit thy way to the Lord. Psalms 37 .
The things thou hast heard of me, commit to faithful men. 2 Timothy 2 .
2. To put into any place for preservation to deposit as, to commit a passage in a book to memory to commit the body to the grave.
3. To put or sent to, for confinement as, to commit an offender to prison. Hence for the sake of brevity, commit is used for imprison. The sheriff has committed the offender.
These two were committed, at least restrained of their liberty.
4. To do to effect or perpetrate as, to commit murder, treason, felony, or trespass.
Thou shalt not commit adultery. Exodus 20 .
5. To join or put together, for a contest to match followed by with a latinism.
How does Philopolis commit the opponent with the respondent.
6. To place in a state of hostility or incongruity. Committing short and long words. But this seems to be the same signification as the foregoing.
7. To expose or endanger by a preliminary step or decision which cannot be recalled as, to commit the peace of a country by espousing the cause of a belligerent.
You might have satisfied every duty of political friendship without committing the honor of your sovereign.
8. To engage to pledge or to pledge by implication.
The general--addressed letters to Gen. Gates and to Gen. Heath, cautioning them against any sudden assent to the proposal, which might possibly be considered as committing the faith of the United States.
And with the reciprocal pronoun, to commit ones self, is to do some act, or make some declaration, which may bind the person in honor, good faith, or consistency, to pursue a certain course of conduct, or to adhere to the tenor of that declaration.
9. To refer or entrust to a committee, or select number of persons, for their consideration and report a term of legislation as, the petition or the bill is committed. Is it the pleasure of the house to commit the bill?