betroth

English

Etymology

From Middle English bitrouthen, bitreuthen, from treuthe (“truth”), from Old English trēowþe (“truth, pledge, troth”). Equivalent to be- +‎ troth.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bəˈtɹəʊð/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /bəˈtɹoʊð/
• Rhymes: -əʊð

Verb

betroth (third-person singular simple present betroths, present participle betrothing, simple past betrothed, past participle betrothed or betrothen)

1. 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.

2. 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

• betrothable
• betrothed

Translations

to promise to give in marriage

• Albanian: mbles (sq)
• Armenian: նշանել (hy) (nšanel)
• Aromanian: isusescu
• Bulgarian: сгодявам (bg) (sgodjavam)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 許配／许配 (zh) (xǔpèi), 許嫁／许嫁 (zh) (xǔjià), 聘 (zh) (pìn)

• Dutch: verloven (nl)
• Esperanto: fianĉigi
• Finnish: luvata puolisoksi
• French: fiancer (fr)
• German: verloben (de)
• Greek: μνηστεύω (el) (mnistévo)
• Hungarian: eljegyeztet
• Ido: fiancar (io)
• Irish: geall
• Italian: fidanzare (it), promettere in sposa
• Maori: taipū, whakaihi, whakapākūwhā
• Occitan: prometre (oc), acordar (oc), aprodelar
• Ottoman Turkish: نشانلامق (nişanlamak)
• Polish: zaręczyć się
• Portuguese: prometer (pt)
• Romanian: logodi (ro)
• Russian: обруча́ть (ru) impf (obručátʹ), обручи́ть (ru) pf (obručítʹ), помо́лвить (ru) pf (pomólvitʹ)
• Serbo-Croatian: zaručiti (sh)
• Slovene: zaročiti se
• Spanish: prometer (en matrimonio)
• Swedish: förlova (sv), trolova (sv)
• Thai: คู่หมั้น่

to promise to take as a future spouse

• Azerbaijani: nişanlanmaq (az), adaxlanmaq
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 訂婚／订婚 (zh) (dìnghūn)

• Dutch: zich verloven
• Esperanto: fianĉiĝi
• Finnish: kihlata (fi) (tr.), kihlautua (fi) (intr.)
• French: se fiancer (fr)
• German: sich verloben (de)
• Greek: μνηστεύομαι (el) (mnistévomai)
• Hungarian: eljegyez (hu)
• Icelandic: trúlofast
• Ido: fiancar su
• Irish: luaigh le
• Italian: fidanzarsi (it)
• Japanese: 婚約する (ja) (こんやくする, kon'yaku suru)
• Kumyk: гелешинмек (geleşinmek)
• Ottoman Turkish: نشانلانمق (nişanlanmak)
• Russian: обруча́ться (ru) impf (obručátʹsja), обручи́ться (ru) pf (obručítʹsja), помо́лвиться (ru) pf (pomólvitʹsja)
• Swedish: förlova sig
• Turkish: nişanlanmak (tr)
• Welsh: dyweddïo (cy)
• Yiddish: פֿאַרקנסן (farknsn)

See also

• affiance
• fiancé
• fiancée
• plight
• troth
• marriage