betroth

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*dóru“tree; hence, firm, hard; faithful, true”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*triwwiþō“contract; promise”
3. Old English · derived fromtrīewþ
4. Middle English · inherited frombitrouthen
5. English todaybetroth

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.

Words from the same roots