betrothed Look up betrothed at Dictionary.com
pp. adj., 1530s, from betroth (q.v.). As a noun, in use by 1580s.
betrothal Look up betrothal at Dictionary.com
1844, from betroth + -al (2).
betroth Look up betroth at Dictionary.com
c.1300, betrouthen, from bi- "thoroughly" + O.E. treowðe "truth, a pledge" (see troth).
handfast (v.) Look up handfast at Dictionary.com
"betroth, bind in wedlock," c.1200, from hand + fast (see fasten).
troth Look up troth at Dictionary.com
c.1175, from a phonetic variant of O.E. treowð "faithfulness, truth" (see truth). Restricted to Midlands and Northern England dialect after 16c., and to certain archaic phrases (e.g. plight one's troth). Cf. also betroth.
fasten Look up fasten at Dictionary.com
O.E. fæstnian "make fast, firm," also "ratify, betroth," from P.Gmc. *fastinojanan, from *fastuz (see fast (adj.)). Related: Fastened; fastener; fastening.
nuptial Look up nuptial at Dictionary.com
1490, from L. nuptialis "pertaining to marriage," from nuptiæ "wedding," from nupta, fem. pp. of nubere "take as a husband," related to Gk. nymphe "bride," from PIE *sneubho- "to marry, wed" (cf. O.C.S. snubiti "to love, woo," Czech snoubiti "to seek in marriage," Slovak zasnubit "to betroth").
wed Look up wed at Dictionary.com
O.E. weddian "to pledge, covenant to do something, marry," from P.Gmc. *wadjojanan (cf. O.N. veðja "to bet, wager," O.Fris. weddia "to promise," Goth. ga-wadjon "to betroth"), from PIE base *wadh- "to pledge, to redeem a pledge" (cf. L. vas, gen. vadis "bail, security," Lith. vaduoti "to redeem a pledge"). Sense remained "pledge" in other Gmc. languages (cf. Ger. Wette "bet, wager"); development to "marry" is unique to Eng.