verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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Received-Pronunciation:/bɪˈtɹəʊð/
Received-Pronunciation:/-ˈtɹəʊθ/
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada, US:/bəˈtɹoʊð/
Canada, US:/-ˈtɹɔθ/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Australian:/bɪˈtɹəʉð/
Australian:/bɪˈtɹɐʉð/
QueenslandRecorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
rhymes with -əʊð
rhymes with -əʊθ
rhymes with -ɔθ
1
verb
Meaning 1
Of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse; to plight one's troth to.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, formal, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
verb
Meaning 2
Often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; specifically and chiefly, to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man; to affiance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, formal, transitive
Examples
He betrothed his daughter to a distant relative.
The couple were betrothed not long after they met each other.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
verb
Meaning 3
Of God: to enter into a relationship with (believers, or the church as a whole); also, of a priest: to pledge (himself) to the church prior to being consecrated as a bishop.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: archaic, figuratively, formal, transitive
Topics: Christianity
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
verb
Meaning 4
To pledge or promise oneself to (a cause); to espouse; also (sometimes reflexive), to pledge or promise (oneself or one's efforts) to a cause or to do something.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: figuratively, formal, obsolete, transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
verb
Meaning 5
give to in marriage
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: engage, affiance, plight
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: vow
History
Etymology
From Middle English bitrouthen, bitreuthen (“of a man: to pledge to marry; to give (a woman) in marriage, arrange the marriage of”), from bi- (prefix forming transitive verbs from nouns) + trouth, treuthe (“faithfulness, fidelity, specifically marital fidelity; promise, undertaking, specifically a promise of marriage; truth; etc.”) (from Old English trīewþ, trēowþ (“fidelity; good faith, honour; assurance of good faith, covenant, troth; truth”), from Proto-Germanic *triwwiþō (“contract; promise”), from Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree; hence, firm, hard; faithful, true”)), possibly modelled after Old English trēowsian (“to pledge oneself; to prove oneself to be true”)). By surface analysis, be- + troth.
Across languages
Translations
69 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Azerbaijani:
adaxlanmaq
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Azerbaijani:
nişanlanmaq
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Chinese Mandarin:
訂婚 /订婚
(dìnghūn)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Dutch:
zich verloven
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Esperanto:
fianĉiĝi
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Finnish:
kihlata
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Finnish:
kihlautua
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
French:
se fiancer
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
German:
sich verloben
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Greek:
μνηστεύομαι
(mnistévomai)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Hungarian:
eljegyez
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Icelandic:
trúlofast
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Ido:
fiancar su
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Irish:
luaigh le
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Italian:
fidanzarsi
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Japanese:
婚約する
(kon'yaku suru)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Kumyk:
гелешинмек
(geleşinmek)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Russian:
обруча́ться
(obručátʹsja)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Russian:
обручи́ться
(obručítʹsja)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Russian:
помо́лвиться
(pomólvitʹsja)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Spanish:
comprometerse en matrimonio
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Spanish:
desposarse
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Swedish:
förlova sig
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Turkish:
nişanlanmak
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Ottoman Turkish:
نشانلانمق
(nişanlanmak)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Welsh:
dyweddïo
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Yiddish:
פֿאַרקנסן
(farknsn)
— of a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse
Albanian:
mbles
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Armenian:
նշանել
(nšanel)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Aromanian:
isusescu
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Bulgarian:
сгодявам
(sgodjavam)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Chinese Mandarin:
聘
(pìn)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Chinese Mandarin:
許嫁 /许嫁
(xǔjià)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Chinese Mandarin:
許配 /许配
(xǔpèi)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Dutch:
verloven
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Esperanto:
fianĉigi
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Finnish:
luvata puolisoksi
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
French:
fiancer
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
German:
verloben
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Greek:
μνηστεύω
(mnistévo)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Hungarian:
eljegyeztet
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Ido:
fiancar
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Irish:
geall
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Italian:
fidanzare
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Italian:
promettere in sposa
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Māori:
taipū
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Māori:
whakaihi
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Māori:
whakapākūwhā
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Occitan:
acordar
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Occitan:
aprodelar
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Occitan:
prometre
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Polish:
zaręczyć się
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Portuguese:
prometer
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Romanian:
logodi
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Russian:
обруча́ть
(obručátʹ)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Russian:
обручи́ть
(obručítʹ)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Russian:
помо́лвить
(pomólvitʹ)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Serbo-Croatian:
зару́чити
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Serbo-Croatian:
zarúčiti
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Slovene:
zaročiti se
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Spanish:
prometer (en matrimonio)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Spanish:
comprometer en matrimonio
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Spanish:
desposar
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Swedish:
förlova
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Swedish:
trolova
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Thai:
คู่หมั้น่
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Ottoman Turkish:
نشانلامق
(nişanlamak)
— often of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man
Finnish:
lupautua
— of God: to enter into a relationship with (believers, or the church as a whole)
Finnish:
lupautua
— of a priest: to pledge (himself) to the church prior to being consecrated as a bishop