Online Etymology Dictionary

engagement: 1630s, “formal promise,” from engage + -ment. Meaning “battle, fight” is from 1660s; marriage sense is from 1742; meaning “appointment” is from 1806.
engage: early 15c., from M.Fr. engagier, from O.Fr. en gage "under pledge," from en "make" + gage "pledge," through Frankish from P.Gmc. *wadiare "pledge" (showing the common evolution of Gmc. -w- to Fr. -g-; cf. Guillaume from Wilhelm). Specific sense of "promise to marry" first recorded 1727. Related: Engaged.
spondee: c.1390, "metrical foot consisting of two long syllables," from O.Fr. spondee, from L. spondeus, from Gk. spondeios (pous), the name of the meter originally used in chants accompanying libations, from sponde "solemn libation," related to spendein "make a drink offering," from PIE base *spend- "to make an offering, perform a rite," hence "to engage oneself by a ritual act" (cf. L. spondere "to engage oneself, promise," Hittite shipantahhi "I pour out a libation, I sacrifice").
engaging: “interesting,” 1670s, prp. adj. from engage.
zouk: Creole Fr. "party," from zouker "engage in unrestrained social activity."
lek (v.): to engage in courtship displays of certain animals, 1871, probably from Swed. leka "to play," cognate of Eng. dial. verb lake (see lark (v.)).
enhancement: 1570s, from engage + -ment.
exercise (v.): late 14c., from exercise (n.); originally "to make use of;" also in regard to mental and spiritual training; sense of "engage in physical activity" is from 1650s. Related: Exercised; exercises; exercising.
dyke: 1931, Amer.Eng., probably shortening of morphadike, dialectal garbling of hermaphrodite, but bulldyker "engage in lesbian activities" is attested from 1921, and a source from 1896 lists dyke as slang for "the vulva."
specialize: 1616, "to indicate specially," from special (q.v.). Sense of "engage in a special study or line of business" is first attested 1881; biological sense is from 1851. Specialzation is recorded from 1843. Specialist is first attested 1856 (originally in the medical sense).
spar (v): "to box," c.1400, "to strike or thrust," perhaps from M.Fr. esparer "to kick," from It. sparare "to fling," from L. ex- + parare "to ward off, parry" (see pare). Used in 17c. in ref. to preliminary actions in a cock fight; fig. sense of "to dispute, bandy with words" is from 1698. Extension to humans, with meaning "to engage in or practice boxing" is attested from 1755.
disengage: c.1600 in figurative sense; 1660s in lit. sense of "detach," from dis- "do the opposite of" (see dis-) + engage (q.v.). Related: Disengaged.
hire: O.E. hyrian "pay for service, employ for wages, engage," from P.Gmc. *khurja (cf. Dan. hyre, O.Fris. hera, Du. huren, Ger. heuern "to hire, rent").
commit: late 14c., from L. committere "to bring together," from com- "together" + mittere "to put, send" (see mission). Evolution into modern range of meanings is not entirely clear. Sense of "perpetrating" was ancient in Latin. The intransitive use (in place of commit oneself) first recorded 1982, probably influenced by existentialism use (1948) of commitment to translate Sartre's engagement "to emotionally and morally engage."
employ: mid-15c., from M.Fr. employer, from O.Fr. empleier, from L. implicare "enfold, involve, be connected with," from in- "in" + plicare "to fold" see ply (v.)). Sense of "hire, engage" first recorded in English 1580s, from "involve in a particular purpose." Imply, which is the same word, retains more of the original sense.
wick (1): "bundle of fiber in a lamp or candle," O.E. weoce, from W.Gmc. *weukon (cf. M.Du. wieke, Du. wiek, O.H.G. wiohha, Ger. Wieche), of unknown origin, with no known cognates beyond Gmc. To dip one's wick "engage in sexual intercourse" (in ref. to males) is recorded from 1958, perhaps from Hampton Wick, rhyming slang for "prick," which would connect it rather to wick (2).
press (v.2): "force into service," 1578, alteration (by association with press (v.1)) of prest (c.1360) "engage by loan, pay in advance," especially money paid to a soldier or sailor on enlisting, from L. præstare "to provide," from præ- "before" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Related to præsto (adv.) "ready, available."
while (v.): "to cause (time) to pass without dullness, 1635, earlier "to occupy or engage (someone or something) for a period of time" (1606), new formation from while (n.), not considered to be from M.E. hwulen "to have leisure," which is from a Gmc. verb form of while (n.) (cf. Ger. weilen "to stay, linger"). An association with phrases such as Shakespearean beguile the day, L. diem decipere, Fr. tromper le temps "has led to the substitution of WILE v by some modern writers" [OED] (see wile).
politic (adj.): early 15c., from M.Fr. politique (14c.) "political," from L. politicus "of citizens or the state, civil, civic," from Gk. politikos "of citizens or the state," from polites "citizen," from polis "city" (see policy (1)). Replaced in most adj. senses by political. The verb meaning "to engage in political activity" is first recorded 1917, a back formation from politics.
signify: mid-13c., from O.Fr. signifier (12c.), from L. significare "to show by signs, mean, signify," from significus (adj.), from signum "sign" (see sign (n.)) + root of facere "to make" (see factitious). Intrans. sense of "to be of importance" is attested from 1660s. Meaning "engage in mock-hostile banter" is Amer.Eng. black slang first recorded 1932.
"...'signifying,' which in Harlemese means making a series of oblique remarks apparently addressed to no one in particular, but unmistakable in intention in such a close-knit circle." ["Down Beat," March 7, 1968]
fiancee: 1853, from Fr. fianceé, fem. of fiancé, pp. of fiancer "betrothed," from O.Fr. fiancer, from fiance "a promise, trust," from fier "to trust," from V.L. *fidare (see affiance). Has all but expelled native betrothed. The verb fiance, now obsolete, was used c.1450-1600 for "to engage to be married."
book: O.E. boc "book, writing, written document," traditionally from P.Gmc. *bokiz "beech" (cf. Ger. Buch "book" Buche "beech;" see beech), the notion being of beechwood tablets on which runes were inscribed, but it may be from the tree itself (people still carve initials in them). The O.E. originally meant any written document. Latin and Sanskrit also have words for "writing" that are based on tree names ("birch" and "ash," respectively). Meaning "libretto of an opera" is from 1768. Verb meaning "to enter for a seat or place, issue (railway) tickets" is from 1841; "to engage a performer as a guest" is from 1872. A betting book is from 1856; bookmaker in the wagering sense is from 1862.
handicap: c.1653, from hand in cap, a game whereby two bettors would engage a neutral umpire to determine the odds in an unequal contest. The bettors would put their hands holding forfeit money into a hat or cap. The umpire would announce the odds and the bettors would withdraw their hands -- hands full meaning that they accepted the odds and the bet was on, hands empty meaning they did not accept the bet and were willing to forfeit the money. If one forfeited, then the money went to the other. If both agreed on either forfeiting or going ahead with the wager, then the umpire kept the money as payment. The custom, though not the name, is attested from 14c. Reference to horse racing is 1754 (Handy-Cap Match), where the umpire decrees the superior horse should carry extra weight as a "handicap;" this led to sense of "encumbrance, disability" first recorded 1890. The verb sense of "equalize chances of competitors" is first recorded 1852, but is implied in the horse-race sense. Meaning "put at a disadvantage" is 1864. The main modern sense, "disability," is the last to develop; handicapped (adj.) is 1915.