Meanings
present singular third person affiances · participle present affiancing · participle past affianced · past affianced · alternative affiaunce
- literaryoftenpassivetransitiveTo be betrothed to; to promise to marry.
She left our former teacher at the altar. Oh well, it's no secret that Prissy was affianced to our former teacher, but justifiably fled the wedding.
2018 July 6, Moira Walley-Beckett, “What We have been Makes Us what We are” (07:00 from the start), in Anne with an E, season 2, episode 9, spoken by Anne Shirley-Cuthbert (Amybeth McNulty)1 more example
[S]he had expected the worst ever since Drusilla had deliberately tried to unsex herself by refusing to feel any natural grief at the death in battle not only of her affianced husband but of her own father [...]
1935 April, William Faulkner, “Skirmish at Sartoris”, in The Unvanquished, New York, N.Y.: Random House, published 1938, →OCLC; republished in The Unvanquished: The Corrected Text, New York, N.Y.: Vintage Books, October 1991, →ISBN, section 1, page 189
plural affiances · alternative affiaunce
- Faith, trust.
Such feelings promptly yielded to his habitual affiance in the divine love.
1849, James Stephen, Essays in Ecclesiastical Biography3 more examples
[…] in syr Launcelot & you I moost had my Ioye / & myn affyaunce / & now haue I lost my Ioye of you bothe […] […] "in Sir Launcelot and you I most had my joy, and mine affiance, and now have I lost my joy of you both" […]
1485, Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur Book XXI, Chapter ii, leaf 421rAll other outward shewes and exterior apparences are common to all religions: As hope, affiance [translating confiance], events, ceremonies, penitence and martyrdome.
1603, Michel de Montaigne, chapter 12, in John Florio, transl., The Essayes […], book II, London: […] Val[entine] Simmes for Edward Blount […], →OCLCLancelot, my Lancelot, thou in whom I have / Most joy and most affiance, […]
1859, Alfred Tennyson, “Elaine”, in Idylls of the King, London: Edward Moxon & Co., […], →OCLC, page 218 - archaicA solemn engagement, especially a pledge of marriage.
I that Ladie to my spouse had wonne; / Accord of friends, consent of parents sought, / Affiance made, my happinesse begonne […]
1590, Edmund Spenser, “Book II, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinfīdere
- Medieval Latinaffīdāre
- Middle Frenchaffiance
- Englishaffiance
From Middle French affiance, from affier (from Medieval Latin affīdāre, from *fīdāre, from Latin fīdere) + -ance.
More words from Middle French, Medieval Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian сгодявам се, сгодя се
- сгодявам се (sgodjavam se)to be betrothed to
- сгодя се (sgodja se)to be betrothed to
- вричам се (vričam se)to be betrothed to
- врека се (vreka se)to be betrothed to
Dutch sich verloven met
- sich verloven metto be betrothed to
Finnish olla kihloissa
- olla kihloissato be betrothed to
German sich verloben mit
- sich verloben mitto be betrothed to
Hungarian eljegyez
- eljegyezto be betrothed to
Icelandic trúlofast
- trúlofastto be betrothed to
Irish luaigh le
- luaigh leto be betrothed to
Russian обруча́ться, обручи́ться
- обруча́ться (obručátʹsja)to be betrothed to
- обручи́ться (obručítʹsja)to be betrothed to
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with affiance
Cite this entry
affiance. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affiance
“affiance.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affiance. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “affiance,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/affiance.
Source: affiance on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.