Votive describes something given, done, or offered because of a promise made to God, to a saint, or to a spirit — usually a promise like "if you help me, I will bring you this". So a votive offering is a gift left at a shrine after a prayer was answered; a votive candle is a candle lit as part of such a promise or prayer; a votive tablet is a small plaque left in thanks. It is an adjective, and it lives almost entirely in religion, art history, and museum labels. You would not use it about an ordinary promise between friends. There is one everyday exception that has drifted from the religion: in English-speaking countries, especially the United States, a *votive* (also "votive candle") is now a common name in shops for a small, short, thick candle that sits in a little glass cup — sold for the bathroom or the dinner table, with nobody praying at all. So the same word covers both a serious object in a church and a scented candle from a home-goods store; the setting tells you which. Note also that in a museum, "votive" often signals "this object was never meant for daily use — it was made to be given".