betroth
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From Middle English bitrouthen, bitreuthen, from treuthe (“truth”), from Old English trēowþe (“truth, pledge, troth”). Equivalent to be- + troth.
Pronunciation
Verb
betroth (third-person singular simple present betroths, present participle betrothing, simple past betrothed, past participle betrothed or betrothen)
- To promise to give in marriage.
- He betrothed his daughter to a distant relative.
- 1885, W[illiam] S[chwenck] Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, composer, […] The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu, London: Chappel & Co., […], →OCLC:
- We loved each other at once, but she was betrothed to her guardian Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor.
- To promise to take (as a future spouse); to plight one's troth to.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 20:7:
- What man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her?
Derived terms
Translations
to promise to give in marriage
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to promise to take as a future spouse
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See also
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