Adjacent Words

Betroth definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BETROTH', v.t. [be and troth, truth, faith. See Truth, and Troth.]
1. To contract to any one, in order to a future marriage; to promise or pledge one to be the future spouse of another; to affiance; used of either sex. "The father betroths his daughter.'
2. To contract with one for a future spouse; to espouse; as, a man betroths a lady.
3. To nominate to a bishopric,in order to consecration.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: give to in marriage [syn: betroth, engage, affiance, plight]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from be- + trouthe truth, troth Date: 14th century 1. to promise to marry 2. to give in marriage

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. (usu. as betrothed adj.) bind with a promise to marry. Derivatives: betrothal n. Etymology: ME f. BE- + trouthe, treuthe TRUTH, later assim. to TROTH

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Betroth Be*troth", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrothed; p. pr. & vb. n. Betrothing.] [Pref. be- + troth, i. e., truth. See Truth.] 1. To contract to any one for a marriage; to engage or promise in order to marriage; to affiance; -- used esp. of a woman. He, in the first flower of my freshest age, Betrothed me unto the only heir. --Spenser. Ay, and we are betrothed. --Shak. 2. To promise to take (as a future spouse); to plight one's troth to. What man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? --Deut. xx. 7. 3. To nominate to a bishopric, in order to consecration. --Ayliffe.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

to promise "by one's truth." Men and women were betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed (Deut. 28:30; Judg. 14:2, 8; Matt. 1:18-21). The term is figuratively employed of the spiritual connection between God and his people (Hos. 2:19, 20).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

be-troth', be-troth' ('dras): On betrothal as a social custom see MARRIAGE. Hosea, in his great parable of the prodigal wife, surpassed only by a greater Teacher's parable of the Prodigal Son, uses betrothal as the symbol of Yahweh's pledge of His love and favor to penitent Israel (Ho 2:19,20). In Ex 21:8,9 the Revised Version (British and American) renders "espouse" for the "betroth" of the King James Version, the context implying the actual marriage relation.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Affiance, plight, pledge in marriage, engage to marry.