- 1許婚；把…訂婚給（古）
To betroth someone is to promise that a marriage will happen — to bind two people with a pledge, not yet with a wedding.
To betroth someone把某人betroth is就是 to promise that a marriage will happen承諾一場婚姻會發生 — to bind two people with a pledge用一個誓約把兩個人綁在一起, not yet with a wedding但還沒有婚禮。
In older English a father might betroth his daughter to a man, or two families would betroth a couple.
In older English在較早的英語裡, a father父親 might betroth his daughter to a man可能會把女兒betroth給某個男人, or或 two families兩個家族 would betroth a couple會把一對新人betroth在一起。
Today you will mostly meet it in stories, history, and the phrase be betrothed to (promised in marriage to).
Today今天, you你 will mostly meet it大多會在 in stories, history故事和歷史裡遇到它, and還有 the phrase be betrothed to片語be betrothed to (promised in marriage to承諾許配給某人)。
Though actually, it is not the comfortable everyday verb for a modern couple: people now say get engaged. Betroth feels formal and old, and sometimes one-sided, as if the promise is being arranged rather than freely chosen.
Though actually不過其實, it它 is not the comfortable everyday verb不是現代人日常會用的舒服動詞 for a modern couple對一對現代情侶而言: people人們 now現在 say get engaged會說get engaged。Betroth這個字 feels formal and old聽起來正式又老派, and而且 sometimes one-sided有時候還帶點一方安排的味道, as if好像 the promise is being arranged rather than freely chosen這個承諾是被安排的而不是自由選擇的。
The root idea is a troth: a pledge of truth and faithfulness.
The root idea字根的概念 is a troth是troth（誓約）: a pledge of truth and faithfulness一個關於真誠與忠貞的誓言。
core核心畫面
組成be- + troth (an old word for a pledge of faithfulness). From Middle English bitrouthen. Troth is an older sister of truth.
原始詞典資料4 筆記錄
以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。
betrothverb/bɪˈtɹəʊð/
- 1
archaicformalOf a man: to promise to take (a woman) as a future spouse; to plight one's troth to.
- And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him goe and returne vnto his houſe, leſt he die in battel, and another man take her.
- 2
archaicformalOften of a parent or guardian: to promise that (two people) be married to each other; specifically and chiefly, to promise that (a woman) be given in marriage to a man; to affiance.
- He betrothed his daughter to a distant relative.
- The couple were betrothed not long after they met each other.
- 3
archaicformalChristianityOf God: to enter into a relationship with (believers, or the church as a whole); also, of a priest: to pledge (himself) to the church prior to being consecrated as a bishop.
- And I [God] will betroth thee [his people] vnto me foreuer; yea, I will betroth thee vnto me in righteouſneſſe, and in iudgement, and in louing kindneſſe, and in mercies. I will euen betroth thee vnto me in faithfulneſſe, and thou ſhalt know the Lord.
- God betrotheth thee in righteouſnes, and putteth righteouſnes into thee; […]
- 4
obsoleteformalTo pledge or promise oneself to (a cause); to espouse; also (sometimes reflexive), to pledge or promise (oneself or one's efforts) to a cause or to do something.
- To priuate fight they haue betroutht themſelues, / Of which conflicte, the end muſt needes be this, / That one do liue, that other die the death.
- [W]hat is he for a foole that betrothes himſelfe to vnquietneſſe?
摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。