engage

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*wedʰ-“to pledge, redeem a pledge; guarantee, bail”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*wadją“pledge, guarantee”
3. Frankish · derived from*wadi“pledge”
4. Old French · derived fromen-“in, under”
5. Old French · derived fromengagier“to pledge, engage”
6. Middle English · inherited fromengagen
7. English todayengage

From Middle English engagen, from Old French engagier (“to pledge, engage”), from Old French en- (“in, under”) + gage (“pledge”), from Frankish *wadi (“pledge”), from Proto-Germanic *wadją (“pledge, guarantee”), from Proto-Indo-European *wedʰ- (“to pledge, redeem a pledge; guarantee, bail”), equivalent to en- + gage. Cognate with Old English weddian (“to engage, covenant, undertake”), German wetten (“to bet, wager”), Icelandic veðja (“to wager”). More at wed.

Words from the same roots