allegiance
Other forms: allegiances
Every second grader knows how to pledge allegiance to the flag, but do you think they realize when they place their right hand over their hearts that they're expressing loyalty to what we call the "Red, White, and Blue"?
You can pledge your allegiance to a flag or swear your allegiance to a government or cause. Either way you're expressing your commitment and devotion in the firmest sense of the word. The liege in allegiance comes from the Old French word meaning "lord and master," which is who you would have been swearing your allegiance to if you'd been a servant in France centuries ago.
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the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
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synonyms:
commitment, dedication, loyalty
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types:
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communalism
loyalty and commitment to the interests of your own minority or ethnic group rather than to society as a whole
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consecration
a solemn commitment of your life or your time to some cherished purpose (to a service or a goal)
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devotion
commitment to some purpose
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enlistment
the act of enlisting (as in a military service)
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faith
loyalty or allegiance to a cause or a person
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cultism
devotion to the doctrine or a cult or to the practices of a cult
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hobbyism
a devotion to hobbies
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reenlistment
a renewed enlistment
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fetich, fetish
excessive or irrational devotion to some activity
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party spirit
devotion to a political party
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type of:
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cooperation
joint operation or action
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the loyalty that citizens owe to their country (or subjects to their sovereign)
/əˈlidʒəns/
/əˈlidʒɪns/
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