betrothal

English

Etymology

From betroth +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/
• (US, Canada) IPA^(key): /bɪˈtɹoʊ.ðəl/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /bɪˈtɹəʉ.ðəl/, /bɪˈtɹɐʉ.ðəl/
• Rhymes: -əʊðəl

Noun

betrothal (countable and uncountable, plural betrothals)

1. The act of betrothing.

   marriage betrothal

   formal betrothal

   announce a betrothal

   Their betrothal was announced in the local newspaper.

   The play ends with a wedding after a long betrothal.

2. The fact of being betrothed; a mutual promise, engagement, or contract for a future marriage between two people.

Synonyms

• betrothment
• affiance

Derived terms

• prebetrothal

Translations

mutual promise — see also engagement

• Albanian: mblesë (sq) f
• Arabic: please add this translation if you can
• Aromanian: isozmã f, arãvoanã f
• Bulgarian: годеж m (godež), бракосъчетание (bg) n (brakosǎčetanie)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 定親 / 定亲 (zh) (dìngqīn), 婚約 / 婚约 (zh) (hūnyuē)

• Czech: zasnoubení n
• Dutch: verloving (nl) f, ondertrouw (nl) m
• Finnish: kihlaus (fi), kihlautuminen (fi)
• French: accordailles (fr) f pl, fiançailles (fr) f pl
• German: Verlobung (de) f, Verlöbnis (de) n

  Hochpreußisch: Verlobung

  Kölnisch: Verlobung

  Oberlausitzisch: Verlobung

• Gothic: 𐍆𐍂𐌰𐌲𐌹𐍆𐍄𐍃 f (fragifts)
• Greek: αρραβώνας (el) m (arravónas), αρραβώνιασμα (el) n (arravóniasma)
• Gujarati: સગાઈ f (sagāī)
• Hindi: वाग्दान (hi) m (vāgdān)
• Irish: cleamhnas m
• Italian: fidanzamento (it) m
• Japanese: 婚約 (ja) (こんやく, kon'yaku)
• Korean: 약혼 (ko) (yakhon)
• Latin: sponsālia n pl
• Low German: Ferluawunge f (Sauerländisch), Verlawung f ((also) Mecklenburgisch-Vorpommersch), Verlowung f, Verlobung f
• Macedonian: веридба f (veridba)
• Maori: moumouranga
• Persian: نامزدی (fa) (nâmzadi)
• Polish: zaręczyny (pl) pl
• Portuguese: esponsais (pt) m pl, noivado (pt) m
• Romanian: logodnă (ro) f
• Russian: помо́лвка (ru) f (pomólvka), обруче́ние (ru) n (obručénije)
• Scottish Gaelic: rèiteach m
• Spanish: esponsales (es) m pl, palabra de matrimonio f, promesa de matrimonio f, desposorio m, desposorios (es) m pl, desposamiento m
• Tagalog: talimbuhol
• Tamil: நிச்சயதார்த்தம் (niccayatārttam)
• Vietnamese: sự đính hôn (vi)

References

• “betrothal”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.