a mild oath or exclamation used in showing
surprise, approval,
agreement,
anger, etc. The
word by is used in oaths or earnest appeals (as to a higher
force) with the meaning, "in the
presence of" or "with the
witness of." Usually the "being" or thing appealed to
follows the
word. In
Roman mythology Jove was ruler of the
universe and
king of all gods. The custom of using a
god's name in such a manner dates back many centuries to the
Romans and Greeks.