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betrothal

UK/bɪˈtɹəʊ.ðəl/US/bɪˈtɹoʊ.ðəl/
nounC1Rare in speech; mostly a word you read · #12,602 of 15,258neutral

Other forms: betrothals

A betrothal is a formal promise to marry. Announce the betrothal, break off the betrothal, a betrothal ceremony.

It was once a binding contract that could be sued on, which is why breaking one had consequences beyond the personal. The word is now archaic in English, and engagement has taken its place entirely.

William-Adolphe Bouguereau · Public domain

Definitions of betrothal

  1. 1nounbetrothalA formal promise to marry.C1

    “The king announced the betrothal of his daughter to a foreign prince.”

betrothal is a promise.

Where it comes from

From betroth + -al.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA

Practised in A Song of Ice and Fire

Practise this word

betrothal in the wild

  • An engagement ring, also known as a betrothal ring, is a ring indicating that the person wearing it is engaged to be married, especially in Western cultures.

    Engagement ring

  • Once existing, the impediment always remains, even though the betrothal is lawfully broken.

    Public propriety

  • Since the Middle Ages it is customary for the marriage to occur immediately after the betrothal, and to perform the betrothal during the marriage ceremony itself.

    Erusin

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. These sentences were written by other people about their own subjects; they are here to show the word at work, not as anybody’s opinion.