trothplight

[prettygoodword]

trothplight (TRAWTH-plait, TROHTH-pliat) - (arch.) v.t., to betroth (to someone), to engage to be married (to someone). n., a betrothal. adj., betrothed.


The adjectival form is also trothplighted, which honestly sounds more natural to me, but that's my Modern English sensibilities at work. This one goes back to the early 14th century, coined from throth, faithfulness/truth/promise, esp. a promise to marry (which goes back to Old English trēowþ, same range of meanings, from the same Germanic root that gave us truth, from PIE *drewh₂-, steady/firm, which also gave us tree) + plight, to pledge oneself (from previous meaning risk/danger (of the consequences of violating the pledge), from Old English pliht, risk/danger/duty, from Germanic root *plihti, care/responsibility/duty).

---L.

Comments

"Plight"

[dewline]

That part of the word sticks with me, because I've only ever associated that word with "risk/danger", never to a specific context in which that risk or danger might (not) appear.

Re: "Plight"

[prettygoodword]

I tend to have the pledge sense of plight in the back of my mind, from reading all those medieval romances in which Sir Whatshisname troths his plight to some lord or lady.