The Collaborative International Dictionary
Betroth \Be*troth"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Betrothed; p. pr. & vb. n. Betrothing.] [Pref. be- + troth, i. e., truth. See Truth.]
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To contract to any one for a marriage; to engage or promise in order to marriage; to affiance; -- used esp. of a woman.
He, in the first flower of my freshest age, Betrothed me unto the only heir.
--Spenser.Ay, and we are betrothed.
--Shak. -
To promise to take (as a future spouse); to plight one's troth to.
What man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her?
--Deut. xx. 7. To nominate to a bishopric, in order to consecration.
--Ayliffe.
Wiktionary
vb. (present participle of betroth English)
Usage examples of "betrothing".
betrothing a girl to a prince is an entirely different matter than betrothing her to a king.
If it was all right for Annette Lolme, it must be all right for me as far as betrothing goes.
His object, in short, was to insist on parental authority, giving to parental authority some little additional strength from his own sacerdotal recognition of the sanctity of the betrothing promise.
Verily, betrothing you to her at her birth as was done, we could not know how she would turn out, could we?
The business of betrothing consisted of a lot of twitching and moaning and entirely too much talk.
The sun's betrothing kiss it never knows, Nor all the glowing joy of golden showers.