Standard Lemma guide

betroth

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

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • 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/
  • Queensland Recorded 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