betrothal
(bɪˈtrəʊðəl: see vb)
[f. prec. + -al2.]
The act of betrothing; the fact of being betrothed; engagement for marriage, affiance.
| 1844 Mem. Babylon. Pr'cess. II. 103 Here, as in Assyria and Chaldea, betrothals take place at a very early age. 1858 Longfellow M. Standish ix. 12 Softly the youth and the maiden repeated the words of betrothal. |
| attrib. 1872 Yeats Techn. Hist. Comm. 188 Betrothal rings, set with pearls and gems. 1878 B. Taylor Deukalion i. iii. 32 Our betrothal-kiss. |