betroth
3 synonyms for betroth, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — Of a man, to promise formally to marry a particular woman in the future.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Etymology
Comes from Middle English bitrouthen, bitreuthen ("of a man: to pledge to marry; to give (a woman) in marriage, arrange the marriage of"), from bi- (a prefix forming transitive verbs from nouns) + trouth, treuthe ("faithfulness, fidelity, specifically marital fidelity; promise, undertaking, specifically a promise of ma...
Full origin of betroth →