AFFIANCE

betroth, engage, affiance, plight

(verb) give to in marriage

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

affiance (third-person singular simple present affiances, present participle affiancing, simple past and past participle affianced)

(transitive) To be betrothed to; to promise to marry.

Noun

affiance (plural affiances)

Faith, trust.

(archaic) A solemn engagement, especially a pledge of marriage.

Source: Wiktionary


Af*fi"ance, n. Etym: [OE. afiaunce trust, confidence, OF. afiance, fr. afier to trust, fr. LL. affidare to trust; ad + fidare to trust, fr. L. fides faith. See Faith, and cf. Affidavit, Affy, Confidence.]

1. Plighted faith; marriage contract or promise.

2. Trust; reliance; faith; confidence. Such feelings promptly yielded to his habitual affiance in the divine love. Sir J. Stephen. Lancelot, my Lancelot, thou in whom I have Most joy and most affiance. Tennyson.

Af*fi"ance, v. t. [imp. Affianced; p. pr. Affiancing.] Etym: [Cf. OF. afiancier, fr. afiance.]

1. To betroth; to pledge one's faith to for marriage, or solemnly promise (one's self or another) in marriage. To me, sad maid, he was affianced. Spenser.

2. To assure by promise. [Obs.] Pope.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



RESET




Word of the Day

27 April 2024

GREAT

(adjective) remarkable or out of the ordinary in degree or magnitude or effect; “a great crisis”; “had a great stake in the outcome”


coffee icon

Coffee Trivia

According to Guinness World Records, the largest coffee shop is the Al Masaa Café, which has 1,050 seats. The coffee shop was inaugurated in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 13 August 2014.

coffee icon